Surviving High School
by Tardis19
Summary: All Bella Swan wants to do is survive high school, but when you're a klutz extraordinaire, have the hots for the popular guy and there's a cheerleader out to destroy you, surviving high school may be harder than it seems. AH/Teen Fic
1. Bad Day

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own a black cat named Sirius, a purple iPod, and two sets of gaming dice.

* * *

Because you had a bad day

You're taking one down

You sing a sad song just to turn it around

You say you don't know

You tell me don't lie

You work at a smile and you go for a ride

You had a bad day

"Bad Day" Daniel Powter

* * *

**Surviving High School**

Sur·viv·al: the state or fact of continuing to live or exist especially or in spite of difficult conditions.

_And that right there defined my life. I know, dramatic much?_ My school career had been spent trying to survive these hellish times. Some people say that high school is the best time of your life. Obviously, these people don't go to high school, at least not to Forks High. Yes, Forks High was a small school in a small town, but that didn't exempt it from being hell on earth. I'd done a fairly decent job of flying below the radar of the mean girls, but nothing in life is guaranteed except death and taxes. Little did I know that today would be the day that would ruin my life. I was having a perfectly clumsy, drama-free morning until I got to English where Mr. Mason then proceeded to ruin everything.

Standing at the podium in the front of the class, he excitedly told us that we were going to be doing some creative writing. We were to write a short story, and once it was completed, we would read an excerpt from it in front of the class.

I made a face at that. It was bad enough that I was going to have to write creatively, now I was going to have to read it front of my peers. _Kill me now_. I spent the class period staring at a blank piece of paper in hopes that words would magically appear. Sadly, they didn't. The girl sitting next to me must have noticed my lack of enthusiasm because she leaned over and whispered to me.

"You know, Bella, this isn't that hard. Just write something down."

I gave her a glare. She was my best friend, so a little help or sympathy would have been nice. She ignored me and went back to writing a list of ideas that she apparently had. Some days, I hated her. Angela Weber and I had been best friends since kindergarten. She was pretty, smart, creative, and very good at ignoring the death stares I had sent her way. Letting out a sigh, I continued to stare at my paper. By the time class had ended, I'd mastered the art of doodling crooked hearts with the words _I love Rob Pattinson_ in them and had attempted to draw some plot bunnies. That was promising. No, really, it was. Or not. The idea of banging my head against my desk until I died from a self-induced brain injury was looking more and more promising.

Once the bell rang, I gathered up my crap and followed Angela out into the hallway where she proceeded to go on and on about her ideas. She asked me if had managed to come up with any ideas, and I told her that I was going to marry Rob Pattinson, but that was it. I was about to ask her what ideas she had when someone slammed into me from behind.

"Sorry, Bells," came the voice of my other best friend, Ben Cheney.

I turned and gave him a glare.

"Learn to walk, would you," I told him.

"Oh, that's rich coming from the girl who can't walk across a flat surface without tripping," he snapped back at me. _Jerk_. I couldn't really be mad at him, though. Ben and I had been tight since second grade when he saved me from a terrible fate involving a slide and some swings. Ben and Angela had become best friends through me, and though neither of them would admit it, they were both in love with each other. It would be interesting to watch that romance unfold.

"So, whatcha talking about?" he asked us as we continued down the hall.

"Our stupid creative writing assignment. I can't believe that he's making it half our grade!" I ranted.

They both shook their heads at my ire and laughed at me. I really needed to perfect the art of the death stare, especially with those two as my best friends. We turned around a corner, and then I saw him. Edward Cullen, the most gorgeous man to grace the planet, or at least Forks High. He was tall, built, and had this beautiful bronze hair, green eyes and perfect white teeth that I'm sure Mommy and Daddy paid a fortune for. It didn't hurt that he resembled Rob Pattinson a little bit. Every time I saw him, time came to a standstill. I did my best not to stare at him as he walked down the hall with his circle of friends, but I was unable to resist. Something about him called to me. Just then, Ben nudged me with his elbow.

"Geez, Bells. Stop staring at him. Do I need to get you a bib so you don't drool on your shirt?"

"Shut up, Ben," I growled at him, all the while checking out Edward's ass.

The rest of the morning passed slowly and without incident, except for the fact that I almost killed Mike Newton in gym class. I would say, though, that he totally deserved a badminton racket to the back of the head. I hadn't tried to hit him; it just happened as do most accidents in gym classes involving me. You'd have thought that Coach Clapp would have kept me away from the other students to prevent bloodshed, but he kept throwing me into the fray. Maybe he got some sort of sick satisfaction watching me maim other students.

After smacking Mike in the back of the head, you'd think he'd want nothing to do with me, but sadly that wasn't the case.

"Hey, Bella. Got any plans for tonight?" he asked me.

"Gotta work on that stupid English assignment."

He chuckled at the venom in my voice. "It's not that difficult. I've got my idea and an outline to go with it."

_Seriously? Mike, I'm a douche-bag, Newton had his done. Huh. Well, how hard could it be then? Did I dare ask him?_

"So what's this idea of yours?"

A huge grin broke over his face. "I'm gonna write about vampires. Or aliens. It's gonna be this epic tale with lots of fighting, blood, and death."

_Face palm_. "Sounds interesting," I lied.

"Now don't go stealing my idea, Bella."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Mike." _ Like the world needed another vampire story, particularly one written by Mike Newton._

We continued to walk toward the lunchroom with Mike by my side going on and on about some sporting event that he watched on TV last night. I wasn't paying attention to him or my surroundings when I smacked into something. _WTF?_ I had collided with something warm and solid. _Oh no. This was going to be bad; I just knew it._ I looked at the shirt of the person I had collided with, and it looked vaguely familiar. It was a dark-green cotton knit, and then I remembered where I'd seen it before. It belonged to Edward Cullen. _Oh, God. Just kill me. Let the earth swallow me up; let me get eaten by giant alien bugs. Anything._ I felt my face turn bright red and was confident that I resembled a tomato. I stumbled back and almost tripped over my own feet when his hand reached out to steady me.

"You okay?" he asked.

I mumbled that I was fine while keeping my head lowered and my gaze adverted. There was no way I could make eye contact with him. I was too embarrassed. Of all the people for me to run over, it had to be the one guy that had dominated by dreams and fantasies.

"Of course she's fine. It's obvious that she was trying to get your attention. Why else would you walk right into someone? Talk about pathetic," came the sneering voice of Victoria Laurent, Edward's girlfriend. Head—cheerleader, homecoming and prom queen, and overall bitch.

I stammered out an apology and did my best to quickly walk away without tripping over something. My face was still red as I got in the lunch line, and I prayed no one said anything to me about it. I scanned the food that was available and made a face. Why did cafeteria food always look so unappetizing? I quickly grabbed an apple and a lemonade and headed toward the table where our small band of misfits gathered. Angela and Ben were already there, sitting next to one another and arguing about something or another. They had a very Ron/Hermione relationship. They liked each other but didn't have the guts to tell each other. _Huh. Guess that makes me Harry. Let's just hope that there isn't an evil dark wizard out to get me._ Across from me sat Mike, Lauren, Jessica, Eric, and Tyler. While I got along with most of our group, Lauren and I had our differences. The girl thought that I had designs on Tyler, which I didn't. I'd told her time and time again that I wasn't interested in him, but she refused to listen to me.

"What's wrong with your face, Bella? It's all red," Lauren snidely commented to me after I sat down.

"Nothing," I mumbled.

Mike let out a loud, obnoxious laugh. "It's because she ran into Cullen. I mean, ran right smack into him. It was too funny."

_Oh, he's so dead. Tomorrow, in gym, I'm killing him. Death by badminton._ The table all started laughing as Mike mimed what had happened. _Bastard_. Angela gave me a sympathetic look as she leaned over to whisper to me.

"Are you okay?"

I gave her a small smile. "I'll be fine. It was so embarrassing running into him like that. And to add insult to injury, Victoria witnessed it, and you know how she can get."

"I'm so sorry."

"Me too."

Mike eventually stopped reenacting my humiliation and started discussing some football game that was coming up. Before I knew it, lunch was over, and I was heading to Biology with Angela. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to have Biology after lunch was beyond me. Did they really want us puking while trying to dissect some animal? I asked Angela this question, and she had no answer for me. We were about halfway to class when I realized that I would be seeing Edward in Biology. I grabbed Angela's arm and pulled her to stop, informing her that there was no way I could go in there.

"Why not?"

I gave her a disbelieving look. "Are you kidding me? Edward is going to be in there. I can't face him after I nearly took his ass out."

"Bella, it'll be fine. You don't sit near him, and you don't have to talk to him or make eye contact. Now let's go," she said, shoving me in the direction of the door.

We walked into class, and I did my best to avoid looking in Edward's direction as I passed by his seat. Mr. Banner started in on his lecture and informed us that we were going to be starting our dissection section of the class. _Ugh_. He then mentioned that he was going to be assigning us new lab partners. I was cool with that. My lab partner, Jane, was this creepy, depressed emo. Mr. Banner started handing out the labs to each person, then headed up to the front of the room.

"When I call your name, gather up your stuff and move to the table where your new lab partner is sitting." And off he went, calling names and changing partners. I hoped that I would get paired up with Angela, but Mr. Banner squashed that hope when he paired her up with Edward's twin sister, Alice. And what he said next would forever change my life and ruin any chance I had of surviving high school unscathed.

"Bella Swan, you will be working with Edward Cullen."

_Fuck me! I was completely floored. Me? I was going to be working with Fuckhot Cullen? No way._ I pinched my arm to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I wasn't. I slowly gathered up my stuff and headed toward Edward's table. Just as I reached his table, I tripped and went down, banging my head on the corner. Everything after that was pretty much a blur. I remembered hearing people calling my name and feeling a horrible pain in my head. After that, everything went black. When I came to, I was in the nurse's office lying on a cot. The grandmotherly nurse sat next to me, dabbing away a bit of blood that had formed from the small cut I received when I face-planted into the table.

"Well, dear. I think you're going to live. You'll probably have quite the headache for some time, but the wound is shallow enough that you won't need stitches," she said, placing a bandage over the cut. She handed me a cup of water and some Tylenol and then mentioned the fact that she had called my dad, Charlie.

"Oh no. That wasn't necessary. I'm fine, really," I assured her while slowly sitting up. My head was throbbing, but I was far more embarrassed than I was in pain. Last thing I wanted was the whole school knowing that, not only did I crash and burn in front of Edward but also that my police chief father had to come get me from school. It made me feel like I was in grade school, having my dad come get me because I got sick.

The nurse, however, was not to be swayed. She told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was excused for the rest of the day and to go home and rest. As I sat there and stared at the mint green walls, I realized that someone must have brought me there. I highly doubted I crawled here myself. I was almost afraid to ask how I got here.

"Oh that nice Edward Cullen brought you in. Said that you tripped over the leg of the stool and hit your head. He was very worried about you."

I lay back down on the cot, faint at the idea of Edward Cullen hauling my ass here. It was worse than I thought. Could this situation be any more embarrassing? Hold up. Wait a second. Edward Cullen carried me! And I wasn't even able to enjoy it. _Damn it!_ _The one chance I had to enjoy feeling his arms around me, and I was unconscious. Just my luck. _ I was so busy mourning over the fact that I wasn't able to enjoy Edward's arms that I didn't notice Charlie walk in.

"Way to go, Bells. Knocking yourself out just to get out of Biology seems a bit overdone," he said, walking into the room.

Ha, ha. Charlie the comedian.

"You know me, Dad. I love being the center of attention."

Looking at his watch, Charlie told me that he was going to drop me off at home and head back to work. He mentioned that he'd pick something up for us from the diner for dinner. _ Oh goodie. Diner food. Yum._ Charlie helped me off the cot, made sure I was steady on my feet, and grabbed my bag. The car ride home was quiet, and I texted Angela and Ben to let them know that I was going home and that I'd talk to them later. Knowing Ben, he would want to talk about the glory that was my epic fail. Angela, on the other hand, would know that I wouldn't want to talk about it and wouldn't press the issue.

Charlie pulled the cruiser into our driveway and asked me if I was going to be okay. I looked at him and told him that I'd be fine. "It's just a small cut, and I have a massive headache, but I promise I'm fine. Really."

"Are you sure I shouldn't take you to the hospital? What if you have a concussion?" Leave it to Charlie to think the worst. You'd think that after years of head trauma and hospital visits, he'd be laid back about the whole thing.

"Dad, I'm fine! I won't do anything too strenuous. I'll lie down and probably work on my homework. I'll call you if I need anything."

That seemed to appease him, and he left soon after. Now that I was home, I was able to reflect on just how embarrassing today was — first running headfirst into Edward and then nearly killing myself walking over to his table. He's going to think that Victoria is right and that I'm trying to get his attention, although I can think of less embarrassing and less painful ways to do so.

_Hmmm...Edward Cullen. So hot._ Those muscles, the sex hair, and the gorgeous eyes. I admit that I'd been in love with him since he and his family moved here two years ago. Granted, most of the female population of Forks High has been in love with him as well. Sadly, Victoria was the one who snagged him.

I spent the next few hours working on my English assignment, struggling fruitlessly to come up with some ideas, but soon gave up. I turned on my iPod and started listening to some music in hopes of getting my creative juices flowing but was interrupted by the ringing of my phone.

"Hi, Ben."

"So, Miss Bella. Throwing yourself at Cullen once today wasn't enough?"

"What the hell? I didn't throw myself at him, and you know it, jerk," I seethed at him.

"Chill, Bells. I'm just fucking with you, and you know it. Although, someone might want to let Victoria know that you aren't after her man. She heard about the Biology incident and was pissed."

"Well, that's just great. I've managed to avoid being on her radar all this time, and in one day, I've gone to being number one on her shit list. She's going to make my life hell from now on, isn't she?"

I heard Ben let out a sigh on the other end. "Yeah. She's not too fond of you. She cornered Edward after your biology class, demanding to know what was going on. He explained that you had knocked yourself out and that he carried you to the nurse's office, but she wasn't having it. She was screaming at him in the parking lot after that."

_Huh. I didn't understand why she was upset. It wasn't like I was competition. I was just Bella, a bit on the short side, average weight, boring brown hair, and boring brown eyes._

"So if I were you, I'd just avoid her tomorrow," Ben said.

"I'll do my best. It's not like Forks High is all that big. I don't think I'll be able to avoid her wrath forever," I told him.

After talking for a bit longer, we finally hung up, and I heard Charlie's cruiser pull into the drive, carrying takeout containers from the diner.

"Burgers and fries okay with you?" he asked, setting the containers down on the counter.

I said, "Sure," since it was a bit late to be asking.

We sat down at the table and dug into our burgers while Charlie began questioning me.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"So, what exactly happened? The nurse told me that you fell and hit your head."

"Yep. I tripped over my feet and smashed my head onto a desk."

He winced. "Ouch. Well, I'm glad you're feeling okay."

Neither one of us were big talkers, so the rest of dinner was relatively quiet. I cleaned up while Charlie went to the living room, plopped down into his recliner, and turned on some game that he had been looking forward to watching. I headed upstairs and turned my computer on. Twenty minutes later, I was checking my email and noticed that Renee, my mother, had sent me a message. I wrote her a quick note and then spent some time scouring the Internet for creative story ideas. Nothing really appealed to me, so I logged onto Facebook and spent some time playing games. Once I was done, I got ready for bed, climbed in, and opened up my battered copy of _Wuthering Heights,_ my favorite book of all time. Even though I've read it a million times, it never failed to capture my attention and draw me in. Soon, my eyes were starting to droop, and I hoped that I would have a restful night. Unfortunately, all I could think about was Edward Cullen and how Victoria was going to make my life hell.


	2. Mean

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own a Jack Skeleton mug, several Harry Potter shirts, and a magic eight ball.

A/N: A big thank you to my readers out there. As always, reviews are welcome.

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You, with your words like knives  
And swords and weapons that you use against me  
You have knocked me off my feet again  
Got me feeling like a nothing  
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard  
Calling me out when I'm wounded  
You picking on the weaker man

"Mean" by Taylor Swift

* * *

Surviving High School

"_Good morning Bella," a musical voice said from behind me. I turned around to find Edward standing near me. _

"_Hi Edward," I managed to squeak out. Oh,__ Lord, I sounded like a chipmunk, __and I could feel the blush starting to take over. He just flashed me that panty-dropping grin and put his arm around my shoulder._

"_Ready for our b__iology lab today?" he asked. I knew I was supposed to answer him, but all I could think of was the fact that he had his arm around me and was guiding me toward my locker. It took me a few tries before I got it open, __and after I took out the books I would need, Edward reached over and grabbed them. _

"_Here Babe, I got 'em." Huh? Did he just call me babe? I was so completely lost as to what was going on that I just didn't say anything. He walked me towards homeroom, all the while talking about the upcoming football game against our rival team, and I just nodded and smiled where I deemed it appropriate it_ a_nd then it happened. He leaned down and kissed me. Edward Cullen kissed me! I wasn't sure why he was kissing me, but I sure wasn't going to complain. I leaned into him to kiss him harder, wrapping my arms around his neck, delving my fingers into his glorious hair and—_

Beeeeepppp!

I rolled over and sighed. I knew it had been too good to be true. The Edwards of the world always end up with the Victorias, not the Bellas. It was bad enough that I had dreamed about him, but today I would not only have to see him, but actually talk to him. And then I remembered what Ben had told me last night about Victoria, and I started to feel sick. Maybe I should just stay home from school today. Better yet, maybe Charlie could homeschool me, but the thought of never seeing Edward was enough to make me get out of bed and get ready to face whatever horrors awaited me.

I got ready for school and climbed into Chuck, my old truck. As Chuck roared to life, I turned on the radio, only to hear Beck's _Loser_ coming out of my speakers. Yeah. Not the best song to start my day off with. I turned off the radio and drove the rest of the way to school in silence. Turning into the school parking lot, I found a spot next to Tyler's van, parked, gathered up my crap and headed toward homeroom. I'd had a fairly accident-free morning, so I should have known something was going to happen; I managed to trip over thin air, went sprawling and banged my knee on the concrete steps leading up to the building. Fuck! That really hurt.

"God, she is so pathetic! You should have seen her throwing herself at Eddie yesterday. First, she ran into him when we were heading to lunch, and when that didn't get his attention she _accidentally_ tripped and fell into his desk in biology. What a loser."

I quickly picked myself up off the ground and grabbed my backpack, trying to hurry into the building. I wouldn't let Victoria and her friends see the tears that were starting to form in my eyes as they laughed at me. Sure, she'd always been rude to me, but ever since I'd run into Edward yesterday, it was like she'd decided that I was out to get her man and therefore I was the enemy. I brushed away the few tears that were starting to fall and hurried over to my locker.

"Morning, Bella."

"Hey, Ben."

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Ben asked.

"I'm not crying."

"Yes, you are."

"Fine! I'm crying. I tripped up the steps and banged my knee and it hurts, okay?"

Ben just looked at me like he didn't believe me, but I didn't really care. I just wanted to get this day over and done with so I could go home. "Come on, let's get to homeroom before the bell rings," I said.

We walked in silence towards the classroom when I heard a commotion across the way. Ben and I looked over and saw Edward and Victoria having a heated argument. He was shaking his head vehemently at something that she was saying, and then Victoria looked over his shoulder and glared at me. I quickly averted my gaze, but the damage was done. Victoria stalked over to me and leaned in close enough for me to smell the coffee on her breath.

"Stay the fuck away from Eddie or I will ruin you."

After delivering her warning she knocked her shoulder into me and headed off down the hallway. I just stood there, stunned. Ben wrapped an arm around my shoulder and asked me if I was okay.

"I guess so," I stammered out.

Truth was, I was in complete shock from what had just happened. I missed everything that happened in homeroom and didn't even try to pay attention in English. How could I? My life was officially over. Victoria had staked her claim, marked her territory and threatened me. But how could I stay away from Edward when he was my lab partner? I guessed I could ask Mr. Banner for a new partner. I turned to Angela and Ben and asked them what they thought.

"Bella, you can't let her get to you. She's just trying to intimidate you, and you're letting her," Ben said.

"Well, of course I am. She's intimidating! She scares the shit out of me," I replied. _Didn't they understand that__? _

Angela looked at me and rubbed her hand over my back. "Just ignore her. She likes to pick on people and thrives on getting a reaction out of them. Besides, do you really want to give up being lab partners with Edward?"

Angela made a valid point. This would probably be the only time in my high school career that I would get to be near Edward and talk to him, assuming that I managed to form any words and not knock myself out again. I took a deep breath, centered myself and calmed my nerves. I could do this.

The remainder of the morning flew by, and before I knew it, it was time for my favorite class of the day: gym. And we all know how much I love gym. We were still playing badminton, and since I owed a certain person a beat down for picking on me yesterday, I might have accidentally smacked Mike with the badminton racket a few times.

"Oh I'm so sorry, Mike! I didn't mean to hit you," I told him after I hit him for the third time with my racket. Mike, being Mike, just smiled and told me it was okay. He knew that my hitting him was due to my clumsiness. Poor clueless fool. Somehow, Mike managed to win against the other team. Afterwards, Coach Clapp told us that we would be starting volleyball the next day.

Mike turned to look at me and asked, "So...you any good at volleyball?"

I just stared at him. "I can barely walk, I can't hold a badminton racket and you want to know if I'm any good at volleyball?"

"Good point," he laughed.

Hopefully, Coach Clapp would see just how much of a danger magnet I was and he'd let me write an essay on volleyball or something rather than making me participate. After changing out of my horrible gym clothes, I met up with Mike and we headed toward the cafeteria. I did my best to avoid running into anyone, particularly the star quarterback. As we were standing in line waiting to pay for our food, someone bumped into me from behind.

"Sorry, Bella," came the bubbly voice of Alice Cullen. While Alice and I weren't exactly what you would call friends and we didn't hang out in the same circle, she'd always been nice to me. I smiled at her and told her it was fine.

"So, Bella, are you going to the dance?" she asked.

I had no idea what she was talking about. "What dance?"

The look on her face was priceless. I couldn't help but laugh. "Seriously, Bella?"

"Seriously, Alice. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"The Sadie Hawkins dance is in a couple of weeks," she gushed. Then she was off and running about going to the dance with her boyfriend, Jasper, and how she and some of the other cheerleaders were going to Seattle to buy dresses. I just nodded politely while she rambled on. I really had nothing to contribute to the conversation. Eventually it was my turn to pay for lunch, and I went off to my table only to see Jessica and Lauren having a hushed discussion about something. I sat down across from them next to Angela.

"Alice seemed a bit excited," Angela said.

I laughed at that. "When doesn't she seem excited? She was going on about the dance that's coming up soon."

"Oh yea. I forgot about that. Are you going to go?"

"I can't walk without falling over, so no. I won't be going. How about you? Anyone you want to go with?"

Angela turned a light shade of pink and looked down at her tray and shyly said, "I might ask Ben. Do you think he'd go with me?"

I smiled at her. "Of course he would."

The whole time that we were talking, I noticed that Lauren kept glaring at me. I wasn't really sure what her problem was, but we never really got along anyway. I decided to just ignore her and turned to talk to Ben when he sat down. I heard Jessica ask Lauren why someone wouldn't want to go the dance with her, and I felt it was best to keep that answer to myself. Apparently, Lauren had asked Tyler to the dance, but he had told her he needed to think about it. Even though I wasn't particularly fond of Lauren, I felt that was a bit harsh. So when Tyler sat down at the table, the tension was rather thick. After sitting next to Ben, Tyler leaned around him and tugged on my hair. That was odd.

"Hey, Bella, how's it hanging?"

"Oh, hey, Tyler. I'm alright. You?"

"Good, good. So, are you going to the dance?"

_What was with everyone wanting to know if I was going to the dance? __ Had these people not met me? What on earth gave them the idea that I could dance?_ "No, I'm not going to the dance."

Tyler's face fell a bit, and he muttered that that was too bad. Lauren glared at him and then me like I'd done something wrong. She turned to Jess and they gathered up their trash and took off. Great. Now I'd have to deal with a pissed off Lauren and a pissed off Victoria. All too soon lunch ended and my nerves started to kick in. I was going to be seeing Edward in a few minutes—sitting next to him, talking to him, working closely with him. How was I going to survive this?

I slowly made my way to biology. I was terrified and excited at the same time. I peeked around the corner and saw him sitting at our table. _Our_ table. _That's right,__ bitches. I'm sitting with Edward Cullen._ I cautiously made my way over to our table and prayed that I wouldn't trip like I had yesterday. Once I safely made the journey across the room, I set my bag down on the table and took my place on the stool provided.

Edward looked up at me and flashed me that gorgeous smile. "Hey, Bella. How's your head?"

I could feel myself starting to blush, and I shyly looked at him. "It's fine. Thank you for taking me to the nurse."

"Sure. Let's not make a habit out of it, yeah?"

"I can't make any promises. I'm a bit accident prone." He threw back his head and laughed. It had to be one of the nicest sounds I'd ever heard. I felt all giddy inside. I had made Edward laugh, and I realized that despite Victoria's threat, I wanted to make Edward laugh again.

Class soon began and Mr. Banner started handing out worksheets. Once we all had our sheets, he told each table to come up and grab a pig that in a dissection pan. He informed us that we'd be learning the external anatomy of fetal pigs today and that we would write down our answers on our sheets. Ugh. I wasn't so sure I could handle this. Edward, on the other hand, seemed ecstatic. He kept poking at our pig with his pencil.

"This is the philtrum," he said quite confidently. "See."

I had no idea what he was looking at, so I just agreed. I started to write the answer on my sheet just as he went to poke our pig and our arms brushed. I felt a jolt go up my arm, and I jerked my hand away quickly. I could feel the blush starting to take hold of me, and mumbled an apology. Edward smiled his crooked smile at me and pointed out some other part of the pig's anatomy.

"So, Bella, you're accident prone, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, a bit. Charlie, my dad, calls me the klutz extraordinaire since I tend to trip over flat surfaces," I said quietly. "They know me by name at the hospital."

Edward grinned. "You might know my dad then."

I smiled at that. Dr. Cullen had set many of my broken bones over the past two years.

"Yeah, I know your dad. He's fixed me up quite a bit."

Mr. Banner walked over to our table to see how we were coming along on our assignment. Edward told him that we were almost done and Mr. Banner nodded. "Less talking, more working," he told us.

We spent the next thirty minutes finishing up our lab, and for once I was sad to hear the bell ring, signaling the end of class. I slowly gathered up my stuff, shoving my notebook and pencils into my bag.

"It was nice talking to you, Bella. I'll see you tomorrow," Edward said as he left the table. I nodded at him and sat there, just taking it all in. I had survived sitting next to Edward. I hadn't embarrassed myself, and he had actually talked to me. Inside, I was squealing like a pre-teen at a Bieber concert. I looked up and saw Angela heading my way, and Alice waved at me. I waved back and stood up. Angela linked her arm with mine as we headed out the door towards study hall.

"So..." Angela began.

"So what?" I asked, trying to play it cool.

"Now don't play games, Bella. I saw you and Mr. Hot talking in class."

"Yes, we talked. He asked me how my head was and he's...he's just so nice. And hot. Why couldn't he be an egotistical ass? It would make getting over him so much easier."

Angela let out a laugh. "Just think, Bella. We've got a few more weeks left of this lab. That's a few more weeks to bask in the glory that is Edward Cullen."

We giggled at that and entered study hall. We sat in the back where we could talk some more, and as we were talking, I noticed Bree Tanner, one of Victoria's cronies, eying me. It left me feeling a bit unsettled, especially when she pulled out her phone and started texting. I tried to shake off the feeling of unease and listen to what Angela was saying. Once study hall was over, we entered the hallway to head to our last class of the day. I was headed to calculus on the other side of the school, so Angela and I said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. I was halfway to class when a hand reached out, grabbed my arm and spun me around. I looked at the hand on my arm, its ruby-red nails digging into my skin, and a feeling of dread came over me. Slowly, very slowly, I lifted my gaze to the owner of those nails. Well shit.


	3. Whole Lotta Trouble

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own a Doctor Who shirt, a shower curtain with the Chicago skyline on it, and a crappy laptop.

A/N: I will do my best to update every week, but every once in a while this pesky thing called life gets in the way. Thanks to my Beta, co-worker, and friend Chylex28 for finding and fixing my errors.

* * *

There's no happy ever after  
here we're just trying to survive.

Whole lotta trouble, baby.  
Whole lotta trouble, baby.  
Whole lotta trouble, in this life

"Whole Lotta Trouble" by Cracker

* * *

Surviving High School

Very slowly I raised my eyes and found myself looking into _her_ eyes; head cheerleader, rich girl, queen of Forks High. Bitchtoria. I knew that this would not go well for me. The look in her eyes put the fear of God to me. I swear there were flames coming out of her eyes. I couldn't look away. I tried. Oh God, I tried, but her gaze held me paralyzed. Not to mention that she had a death grip on my forearm. All I could think was that this was the end. Life as I knew it was over. Her grip tightened on my arm, and those scary as hell nails started to dig into my skin.

"So Bella, I heard something interesting about you today. Do you want to know what it was?" she asked me. Before I even had a chance to respond, she started talking again. "I heard that you're lab partners with my Eddie. That isn't true, is it? Which I find funny because I specifically remember telling you to stay away from him."

Oh shit, was all I could think. I was so scared, all I could do was stammer at her. "Um, I...I...didn't ask to be his lab partner. Mr. Banner assigned us to work together."

Victoria leaned down and got right in my face. "Well then tomorrow you're going to ask Mr. Banner for a new lab partner, aren't you?"

Before I could say anything, Mr. Mason turned the corner. "Is there a problem here ladies?"

Victoria plastered on a smile and looked at Mr. Mason. "No Mr. Mason. Everything's fine. We were just clearing up a little misunderstanding that we had. Weren't we, Bella?"

All I could do was nod my head in response.

"Well then, I suggest you ladies get to class before you're late."

Victoria released my arm, and I rubbed the spot that she had grabbed. I could feel a bruise coming on. "Don't forget Bella. Tomorrow you **will** ask for a new partner, and don't even try to talk to Eddie anymore."

I was so dumbstruck by the whole encounter that, once again, I just nodded at her and stumbled my way down the hall to class. I rushed into the room and tripped over Eric's backpack on my way to my seat. Once I was seated, I let out a trembling breath and tried to calm my shaking hands.

"Cutting it awfully close there," Mike said from behind me.

My voice shook a bit as I agreed with him. I could tell he wanted to ask me more questions, but thankfully Mrs. Shapiro started class. The rest of the class period passed quickly, and I was so ready to leave. Once the bell rang, I sprang as gracefully as I could from my seat and rushed towards the door, eager to leave this hell and enter the sanctuary of my home. I rushed toward Chuck, making sure to avoid any and all contact with anyone. I wrenched the door open, threw my bag onto the passenger seat, and climbed in. I took a moment to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths.

A tapping on the window almost made me jump out of my skin. It was Ben and Angela. I took one glance at the both of them, and I knew that they had heard about the encounter I had with _her_.

"Hey, Bells."

"Hey, Ben."

"How you holding up?"

"Um...I think I'm gonna ask Charlie to homeschool me."

Angela looked at me worriedly. "What exactly did Victoria say to you?"

"She pretty much informed me that if I want to survive high school, I'll ask Mr. Banner for a new lab partner, and I'll never speak to Edward again."

Angela shook her head at that. "I don't understand what she has against you. You're not going to ask Mr. Banner for a new partner, are you?"

"Um...yes. I would like to live till graduation."

"I think you should talk to Edward before you do anything."

"What? Why would I do that?" I asked, incredulously.

"Edward's his own person. She has no right to decide who his lab partner is. What happens if he doesn't want to switch partners? Besides, what reason are you going to give Mr. Banner for wanting to switch partners?"

"I doubt he wants to work with me, and I'll come up with some reason why I can't work with Edward," I told her. Although, I really didn't have any idea what I was going to tell Mr. Banner.

Driving home, I tried to come up with a plausible reason as to why I couldn't work with Edward. I didn't think telling Mr. Banner that Edward's girlfriend was out to get me would be a viable reason. Anyway, I wouldn't even want to imagine what Bitchtoria would do to me if she found out. I pulled into the driveway, grabbed my bag, and headed inside. I noticed that the place was starting to look a bit like a bachelor pad, with empty Vitamin R cans all over the coffee table and the floor needing to be swept. I decided to work off some of my stress and anxiety by cleaning the house. I had the living room and kitchen cleaned and was halfway up the stairs, when I tripped over my shoelace and tumbled down the steps.

Holy fuck! That really fucking hurt! My elbow felt like it had been shattered, and my head was throbbing horribly. I laid at the bottom of the stairs taking an assessment of the damage I had just done to myself. Nothing seemed to be broken as far as I could tell, but I felt something warm and wet dripping into my eyes. Blood. Oh lord. Not blood. I couldn't stand the smell of blood, nor the sight of it. It was enough to make me pass out. Cautiously, I reached my hand up to my head and when I pulled it away, my fingers were covered in the sickly red liquid. Swallowing the bile that was starting to rise in my throat, I slowly pulled myself into an upright position and leaned against the wall for support. I had just closed my eyes, when I heard the sound of Charlie's cruiser pulling into the drive.

"Bells," Charlie called out, as he unlocked the door.

"I'm here," I weakly muttered.

Charlie rushed over to me. "Oh geez, Bells! Did you fall down the steps?"

I started to nod, but my head was killing me, and I was getting fainter by the minute. Charlie ran into the kitchen, grabbed a towel, and held it against my head. "We need to get you to the hospital. You're bleeding pretty bad." Despite being out of it, I noticed how worried Charlie sounded.

Charlie helped me up and walked me to the cruiser. I couldn't even muster up any embarrassment about being driven to the hospital in it. Charlie threw the car into park outside the Emergency entrance and all but dragged me into the hospital. If there was one thing I hated, it was the smell of hospitals. No matter what hospital you're at, they all smell the same. Sterile and clinical. Charlie informed the nurse on duty that I needed to be attended to and soon we were in the back in an exam room. Charlie was pacing back and forth, slowly driving me nuts.

The door opened, and there stood Dr. Cullen. Even in my semi-conscience state, I could still appreciate just how hot he was for an older guy.

"Isabella Swan. I was wondering if I was going to see you again. It's been a while since you've come to visit me," he joked.

I gave a small smile.

"So what happened here?" he asked, as he moved the towel that I had been holding to my head.

"I tripped on my shoelace and fell down the steps," I said sheepishly.

"Hmmm...you really should be more careful. First you hit your head on the table in your biology class and now this."

I was absolutely mortified. How did he find out about that? I turned to glare at Charlie, and he raised his hands as if to say it wasn't him. Dr. Cullen laughed at my expression. "Edward told me about it the other day. He mentioned that the two of you were lab partners and that you had taken a header to the desk."

Oh. My. God. Edward talked about me to his dad. I mentally gave a squeal. Edward Cullen deemed me worthy enough to talk about! I then remembered everything that had happened this afternoon. It saddened me to realize that Edward and I would no longer be lab partners after tomorrow. I just hoped Edward wouldn't be too upset with me.

"So will you be going to the game, Bella?" Dr. Cullen's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Um..the game?"

"The football game on Friday night?"

"Probably not. Football's not my thing. I don't really understand it."

"I've tried to explain the game to her," Charlie sighed, "but she just doesn't get it."

I shrugged. To me, football was nothing to get excited about. Although, seeing Edward in his uniform might actually make going to a game worth it. Soon, Dr. Cullen was finishing up putting in the six stitches that I had required and told me once again to be more careful. We'd had that conversation _many_ times before. Charlie and I thanked him, and we headed out towards the car.

"Mind if we stop at the diner and get dinner to go?"

"Fine by me. I don't really feel like cooking right now," I said.

We drove home in silence with the aroma of greasy cheeseburgers and fries filling the cruiser. We settled down to eat and then Charlie went to go watch a game of some sort that was on. I popped a handful of Tylenol and told Charlie that I was going to go do some homework and then head to bed.

"Be careful going up those stairs. I don't want to have to take you back to the ER tonight," he called out to me.

"Thanks, Dad."

In my room, I booted up my ancient computer and while I was waiting for it to start, I dug out my English assignment. Yeah. That one. The brainstorming one. I hadn't even started it yet, and it was due tomorrow. Maybe I could Google some ideas. That sounded like a good plan to me. Slowly my computer came to life, and after _forever_ I was able to connect to the Internet. I checked my email and saw I had an email from my mother. She rambled on about the pottery class that she was taking. I quickly typed out a short reply and then logged into Facebook.

What did we ever do before Facebook? I could easily waste my life away on it. According to Angela's status she was busy babysitting the little monsters, also known as her twin brothers. Ben was eating ice cream (fucker!) and watching movies. Tyler was going to the dance with Lauren, and Jessica was debating what color to paint her nails. I updated my status to say that I was just about to start my English assignment, and then I noticed it. That little icon that tells you that you've got a friend request. Huh. Okay. I clicked on the icon. No fucking way! Edward Cullen wanted to be my friend. My mouse hovered over the confirm button. Did I dare push it? Yes. Yes, I will be friends with you, Edward Cullen, despite the fact that your girlfriend is a territorial, terrorizing bitch.

I minimized the page and started googling brainstorming ideas. I only needed three of them, so I figured I would take whatever popped up first. Huh. Write a story based on the point of view of a freshly scrubbed floor. Okay. That could work. What else. Hmm...this one has potential...write about a hobo who loves to hear himself sing. And last but not least, write about a super heroine who controls gravity. Done! Granted, it would suck if I actually had to write about one of them, but at least that assignment was done. Now I could go back to Facebooking. I maximized my Facebook page and loaded up Cityville, my newest Facebook game obsession. Stupid Facebook games. I was busy collecting money when the chat popped up.

**Edward Cullen: **hey bella

I sat there stunned. Edward wanted to chat with me! Me! Shy, quiet, clumsy Bella. I was in Heaven.

**Bella Swan:** hey edward

**Edward Cullen: **thanks for adding me as a friend

**Bella Swan: **Sure. no prob.

**Edward Cullen:** whatcha doing

**Bella Swan:** just finishing up my english assignment. brainstorming ideas

**Edward Cullen:** sounds fun

**Bella Swan:** totally

**Edward Cullen:** dad says he saw you at the hospital today. u ok

**Bella Swan:** yep minor accident

**Edward Cullen: **oh yeah?

**Bella Swan:** dived headfirst down the stairs

**Edward Cullen:** nice! i take it you survived

**Bella Swan:** not at all.

**Edward Cullen:** lol. alright i gotta go. ttyl

**Bella Swan:** night

I watched as Edward logged off. Maybe Angela was right. Maybe I should talk to him about Bitchtoria. I really didn't want to stop being his lab partner, and I certainly didn't want to stop talking to him. I let out a sigh and decided that I'd sleep on it. I finished playing Cityville and logged off the computer.

As I got ready for bed, I thought more about things. I really needed to learn to stand up for myself, but I hated confrontation. Really hated it. I'd rather just give in. It's easier that way. But, I wanted to be Edward's friend. Okay, so I really wanted to be his girlfriend, but I'd settle for being his friend. Angela was right. Edward was his own person, and if he didn't mind me being his lab partner, then that's just what I'd be. Now, I just needed to gather up the nerve to tell Edward about Victoria and to tell Victoria to back off. I snorted at that thought. Yeah. I'll be dead before school lets out tomorrow.


	4. Wild Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Nor do I own Google. If I did, I'd be filthy rich. I do own a Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie poster, a huge tie dye sheet, and more Hilary Duff movies than I care to admit.

A/N: What's this? Another update. What can I say? There's not much else to do when you're stuck in your home thanks to a blizzard. As always, thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing. And of course a big thanks to Chylex28 for putting up with me, my errors, and my overall craziness.

* * *

In the crazy world  
Anything can happen  
If you will it to  
I'm just a hazy girl  
Blurring all the edges  
Only seeing blue

It's a Wild Hope  
A Wild Hope  
A Wild Hope  
Everything will be alright

~Wild Hope~ Mandy Moore

* * *

**Surviving High School**

I woke up feeling excited and jittery; almost like I'd had six cups of coffee. Today was going to be interesting, of that I had no doubt. I stumbled toward the bathroom, managing to bang my knee in the process and quickly dressed after showering. I eyed the stairs as I cautiously made my way down them. Last thing I needed was a repeat of yesterday afternoon. Sadly, I'm sure there will be a repeat of yesterday's Stair Olympics in my future. I grabbed a granola bar, took a swig of milk out of the carton (gross, I know), got my bag and made my way out to Chuck. The voice of Bob Dylan greeted me from the radio as I turned Chuck on and headed out of the drive. The closer I got to school, the more nervous I started to feel. I was going to attempt to stand up to Victoria today should she hunt me down, which she most likely would. Especially once she finds out that I have no intention of talking to Mr. Banner and asking for a new lab partner. I was still on the fence about talking to Edward in regards to Victoria and her attitude towards me. After all, she is his girlfriend and no guy wants to hear someone talking shit about their girl. Even if the shit is true. Letting out a sigh, I pulled into the school parking lot and found a spot near Ben's Civic where he and Angela were waiting.

I waved to them as I climbed out of the truck and walked over to them. "Oh Bella, what happened to your head?" Angela asked me as I got closer to them.

I touched the bandage on my head and replied, "Stair Olympics."

Ben grinned at me. "So what scores did the judges give you?"

"Six. I didn't stick the landing," I laughed. "So guess who sent me a friend request?"

Angela grinned at me. "Let me guess. He's about six foot two, plays football, and has gorgeous hair." I nodded.

"I have gorgeous hair," I heard Ben mumble. I reached over and ruffled his hair. "Of course you do Ben."

"So yes, Edward and I are now friends, well on Facebook anyways. He and I chatted a bit last night and I realized that you were right Angie. Edward** is **his own person and I'm not going to ask Mr. Banner for a new partner. Although I'm still not sure if I should talk to Edward about Bitchtoria."

Angela smiled at me as we walked into the building. "I'm glad you've decided not to let her run you off. It's up to you if you want to talk to Edward about her, but I think you should. But that's just my opinion."

Leaning over, I hugged her and told her how much I appreciated her opinions. I stopped by my locker and quickly gathered up the crap I would need for my first few classes and then followed Ben and Angela to homeroom. Once homeroom was over, we headed to English where we gathered into groups of four to discuss our ideas. I got put in a group with Mike, Angela, and Tanya. I wasn't exactly thrilled. Tanya was one of Victoria's sheep and she sat there with her fake hair and fake tan, arms crossed, glaring at me.

"So ladies, let's begin shall we?" Mike said. "I'll go first. I'm gonna write about this epically awesome tale of gore and horror involving vampires. Only my vampires aren't going to be like normal vampires. These vamps don't ever sleep, some of them have super powers, garlic doesn't bother them and they're glittery."

I couldn't help but snort at that. "Glittery?"

Mike quickly defended himself. "Yeah glittery. Instead of burning up in the sun, they'll sparkle."

I could just picture it now. Vampires in the sun blinding you with their sparkliness. I was doing my best not to laugh too much. "So...they're gay vampires?"

Mike sputtered. "What? No of course they're not gay!"

Angela jumped into the conversation. "But they sparkle!" And at that, Angela and I just cracked up. I felt a bit bad because Mike was really keen on his idea, but honestly, sparkly vampires? That was a bit much if you ask me. I didn't mean to laugh at his ideas, but I couldn't help it.

"Well let's hear what you've got then?" Mike huffed at me. Aw crap. I really shouldn't have laughed at him cause my ideas were really no better. I opened my notebook and flipped to the page with my Googled ideas.

"Let's see. Um, I could write about a freshly cleaned floor from the floors point of view, I could write about a hobo who loves to hear himself sing or I could write about a super heroine who has the power to control gravity."

Tanya, who had been filing her nails, stopped and looked up at me. "God, those are like, really lame."

Angela rolled her eyes and mouthed "whatever" beside Tanya. I didn't really try to defend myself to much. "Hey, I randomly picked these ideas from Google so I could get the assignment done. It's not like I actually have to commit to any of these anyways."

I looked over at Tanya. "What ideas did you come up with?"

Tanya didn't even bother to answer my question. She just went back to filing her nails and ignoring us. I shrugged. No big loss. I bet she didn't have any ideas at all. How could she? That would require having a brain and Lord knows she didn't have one. So I looked at Angela.

Angela whipped open her notebook and flipped to a page filled with notes. "I'm going to write about a Native American tribe that has the power to turn into wolves. I know it sounds all kinds of ridiculous, but I was watching some movie about werewolves the other night and this idea came to me..." and she was off and running. Overall, I was pretty impressed with her idea. It was original that was for sure. Mike seemed less than enthused about it, but I think he was still upset that we laughed at his sparkly vampires. I giggled again just thinking about it.

The morning flew by and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. We had started our volleyball session of gym. Of course the other team knew that I was the weakest link, so they repeatedly targeted me. I felt like I spent the class period playing dodge ball instead of volleyball, but what can you do? I, amazingly, walked away without causing any damage to myself or others. I got into the lunch line behind Alice and tried to decide what looked eatable.

"Hey Bella," Alice chirped.

I couldn't help but smile down at her. She was always so friendly. "Hey Alice."

She gasped at the bandage on my head. "Oh no, Bella! Is that from the other day in Biology?"

I'd forgotten that she had seen that whole disaster. I shook my head and explained to her that I'd fallen down the stairs at home.

"You need to be more careful," she admonished me. I agreed with her.

I paid for my food and went to the table for misfit toys. Jessica and Lauren were gossiping about something and Angela and Ben were talking quietly to one another while the guys were busy discussing the upcoming football game. Angela and Ben both had a slight blush going on and I wondered if she'd asked him to the dance yet.

"So Bella," Jessica began, "Lauren, Angela and I are going into Port Angeles to buy dresses for the dance. Do you want to come with us?"

"Oh...well I'm not going to the dance, but I guess I could help you all pick out dresses."

"Like I need your help picking out a dress," I heard Lauren say under her breath. I ignored her and continued talking to Jessica.

"When are you all going?"

"We're gonna go this Saturday. I have my mom's car for the day, so I figured we could go dress and shoe shopping and then get some dinner. There's this great Italian restaurant that we could eat at."

"Sounds like fun. Do you want me to meet you at your house?"

Jessica smiled and told me she'd pick us all up. Despite the fact that I hate shopping, I was almost looking forward to an all-girl outing. It had been a while since I'd just hung out with the girls. Sure, I wasn't exactly looking forward to hanging out with Lauren, but Jessica was alright and I loved Angela. I spent the rest of lunch talking with Angela and Ben, and trying to calm my nerves about seeing Edward and still having an internal debate about whether to bring up Victoria or not. The bell rang signaling the end of lunch and I gathered up my trash, threw it away and headed towards Biology with Angela. As we got to the door of the classroom, Angela squeezed my arm to show her support. I took a deep breath and walked into class towards my table. Edward wasn't there yet so that gave me a few minutes to get myself situated and try and stop my hands from trembling.

"Hey Bella," came the musical voice that I loved. I looked up and couldn't help but smile at the gorgeous man standing next to me.

"Hi Edward."

He sat down and grabbed what he needed out of his bag and then turned to face me. I knew the minute he noticed the bandage on my forehead because his eyes widened.

"So this is from the accident with the stairs, huh?"

I nodded. "After school yesterday I thought I would practice for the Stair Olympics, but I managed to fall and smack my head pretty hard."

"Bella, I thought we agreed that you'd be more careful," he said.

"I remember telling you that I could make no promises."

He shook his head, sighed and flashed me that beautiful smile. "Stair Olympics huh?"

"Yep."

"You really need to work on sticking your landings." I let out a giggle at that and explained that I had told Ben the same thing.

I had just worked up the nerve to tell him about Victoria when Mr. Banner started class. We had a few more weeks left of this stupid lab and then we would move onto dissections and he told us that we would be keeping the same partners for the rest of the year. I couldn't help but smile at that and when I looked over, I noticed that Edward had a smile on his face too.

He leaned over towards me and I caught a whiff of his aftershave. Mmm...delicious. "Guess you're stuck with me Swan. Hope that's not a problem."

"Nope. No problem. You?"

"Well..." he started and my heart just about stopped, "You're awfully clumsy, but I think I can handle working with you," he smirked. I couldn't help the smile that overcame my face, or the blush for that matter.

Mr. Banner handed out our assignments for today's lab and we got to work identifying something or another. I didn't even pretend to pay attention. I was so wrapped up in the fact that I got Edward Cullen for the rest of the year and that he wanted to be my partner that I failed to notice Bree and Tanya staring at us.

"So are you coming to the game on Friday, Bella?"

"Um...probably not. I'm not a big fan of football," I mumbled.

"So what. You should come anyways and bring your friends. Get out of the house and have a good time," he said.

"I'll think about it," I hedged. I'd never gone to a game _ever _so wouldn't it be weird, even suspicious, if I suddenly started going to games after Edward and I became lab partners? People would think that I had a crush on him and was following him around like a puppy. Granted, I have a crush on him, but I don't want the world to find out.

We finished our lab rather quickly, mainly because Edward did most of the work. I think he knew that I was a lost cause when it came to biology type stuff. We made small talk while we worked and before I knew it, class was coming to an end.

"See you tomorrow Bella. Think about coming to the game, okay?" he said as he was leaving.

"I will," I told him as I finished putting my stuff away.

"You will what?" Angela asked me as she came over.

"Oh. Um...Edward wanted to know if I was going to the game tomorrow night and I told him probably not, but he said I should go," I rambled.

"Hmm...that's not a bad idea. We should go."

"What? We never go to games! Won't it look weird that we're suddenly going to games?" I worried.

"Relax Bella. It's not a big deal. It's just a game. Lots of people go. C'mon...it'll be fun. Please," and then she brought out the puppy dog eyes.

"But...Fine! We'll go," I conceded and threw my hands up.

"Yay!" she cheered, "So...did you talk to him about Victoria?"

"No. I was going to and then Mr. Banner started class and I just couldn't get up the nerve to bring it up," I sighed.

Angela smiled and told me that it was okay. Study hall was boring as usual, but at least I was able to get my Calculus homework done before next hour. I prayed that the walk to Calculus would be uneventful. I hadn't run into Victoria all day and I wanted to keep it that way. Luck was apparently on my side, because I didn't encounter her or any of her cronies on the way to class and finally school was over.

I met up with Angela and Ben and we walked out of school discussing our plans for tomorrow. I still couldn't believe that I, Miss Anti-Social, was going to go to a football game. Ben figured that the high school experience wouldn't be complete if we didn't attend at least one game. Personally, I think he just wants to see the cheerleaders in their little uniforms. We finalized our plans for the game and I climbed into Chuck. He came to life with a beastly roar and I patted the steering wheel fondly. Poor Chuck. Everyone makes fun of him, but while loud and unsightly, he is reliable. So far.

I was about to back out of my space when I noticed Edward's Volvo behind me. It made me giggle. Here he was, star quarterback, Mr. Popular and he drives a mom-mobile. From what I could see in the rear view mirror, Victoria had come over and was talking to Edward through his open window. Sadly, due to Chuck's noisiness I couldn't hear what was being said, but she looked pissed. She was making angry gestures and then she pointed in my direction. Well shit. I thought I had managed to escape her wrath today. I made sure that the doors were locked in case she came over my way and continued to watch the drama unfold. Edward was apparently through listening to whatever Bitchtoria had to say because he gunned the engine on his mom-mobile and angrily drove off. I couldn't help but smirk a bit at that. Seems he wasn't having any of her shit today. I could see her glaring in my direction and I backed out of my spot. If she didn't move then I guess she was gonna get run over cause I wasn't stopping.

The evening was quiet and thankfully, accident free. I made lasagna for dinner and went upstairs to do my homework. Once my homework was done, I logged onto Facebook and went about my game playing. I had left the chat on and noticed that Edward was online. I took a deep breath and took the initiative.

**Bella Swan: ** hey edward

Nothing. No response at all. Well, that kinda sucked. I try to ignore the rejection I felt and decided maybe he was busy at the moment and went back to playing games. After I exhausted all my energy in Cityville, I brought up my cafe. I was on a streak. I'd played 110 days in a row and I'd be damned if I missed one day. I was so caught up in cooking that I almost didn't notice the chat pop up.

**Edward Cullen: **hey bella. wasnt ignoring you. was talking to alice about something

I did a little dance in my seat when he wrote me back. Yay!

**Bella Swan: **Oh thats cool.

**Edward Cullen:** so whats up

Oh crap. He thinks somethings up. What do I say? _Think Bella, think._

**Bella Swan:** not much. how was the rest of your day?

**Edward Cullen:** eh. i couldve done without the argument with victoria in front of everyone

Here was my opening if I chose to take it. I could ask him about the argument and then bring up her dislike of me. But then again, it's really none of my business what they were arguing about. It's not like Edward and I were real friends or anything.

**Bella Swan: **yea i would imagine so

**Edward Cullen: **sometimes she's such a bitch. she tends to blow things out of proportion.

Do I say anything? Am I supposed to comment on that?

**Bella Swan: ** yeah

I banged my head on the desk. Brilliant Swan. Brilliant.

**Edward Cullen:** sorry. im sure you dont want to hear about it

**Bella Swan: **you can talk about it if you want

**Edward Cullen:** she's just upset about something and I feel shes overreacting but she doesnt agree which is why she was yelling at me in the parking lot

I wondered if I was the "something" that they were arguing about, but I didn't want to ask.

**Bella Swan:** well hopefully you guys can work things out

Ugh. Really Bella? You hope they work things out? You're such a liar.

**Edward Cullen:** yea we probably will. we usually do

**Bella Swan: ** Oh well thats good

**Edward Cullen: **yea. oh alice wants to know if she can add you as a friend

**Bella Swan: **sure

**Edward Cullen:** cool. well im gonna go finish up some homework. cya tomorrow

**Bella Swan: **night

I watched as Edward logged off the chat and sat there feeling like an idiot. I had the opportunity in my grasp to tell him about her, but did I? No. I wimped out. I'm such a loser. I logged off and shut the computer down and got ready for bed. As I lay there staring at the ceiling, I told myself that I would talk to him about Victoria tomorrow. Or not. After all, tomorrow was the first game of the football season and I wouldn't want to ruin his day by telling him his girlfriend is a complete bitch. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep with visions of Edward in his football uniform.


	5. Happiness

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own at least 6 game consoles, a Johnny Depp poster, and all the Resident Evil movies. I'm also a sucker for cheesy Syfy movies.

A/N: It constantly amazes me that anyone wants to read what I write, so a huge thank you to my readers. A big thanks to Chylex28. She's awesome!

* * *

And when the world don't feel like turning,  
And the sun just wants to hide,  
All the stars come out to remind me  
Of the universe by my side.

All that happens is Happiness.  
Happiness- when I'm with you.

~Happiness~ Orson

* * *

Surviving High School

_I was in a meadow surrounded by trees and flowers and I could hear the soothing ripples of a brook nearby. I was sprawled out in the grass reading Pride and Prejudice, when a shadow fell over me. Looking up, I saw Edward in his football uniform._

"_Hey Edward. How was the game?"_

_Edward continued to stand and stare at me. He had an almost feral look on his face and I started to feel uneasy. _

"_Edward?"_

_Still no response. His eyes had a glassy look to them and I was beginning to think that something was seriously wrong. Then it happened. The sun came out from behind a cloud and Edward's skin began to sparkle. What. The. Fuck. Why was he sparkling? _

_Edward stalked toward me and bent down into a crouching position. Gone was the glassy look in his eyes; now they looked wild. And then he spoke. "I'm so sorry Isabella. I thought I could stay away from you, but I can't. Your blood sings to me."_

_My blood sings to him? I just sat there dumbfounded. All I could do was sit and watch him inch closer and closer to me. His hands reached out and grabbed my upper arms pinning me to the ground. I noticed that his hands were cold, almost like ice and they tightened painfully on my arms as I struggled to get away. _

"_Edward, you're scaring me!"_

_He whispered that he was sorry and I watched in horror as he opened his mouth showing off two extremely sharp fangs. He turned my head to the side and leaned down to bite me. _

I jolted awake, disoriented and confused. I had managed to kick off all the covers and pillows and my hair was a tangled mess. I flopped onto my back and took a deep breath. Stupid Mike and his vampires. I had a feeling that when I looked in the mirror there would be bags under my eyes, thanks to my restless night. I got up, showered, and headed downstairs for a quick breakfast.

I arrived at school and found a spot next to Alice's Porsche. Poor Chuck. He looked like a piece of shit next to her glossy, stylish sports car. I patted his hood fondly and made my way towards Angela.

"Good morning Bella!"

I couldn't help but laugh at her exuberance. "Good morning Angela. You're awfully chipper."

She had a huge smile on her face and said, "I sure am! I asked Ben to the dance last night and he said yes!"

"Well of course he did. He's the Ron to your Hermione. Or the Harry to your Ginny. Or the Voldermort to your Bellat..."

Angela interrupted me laughing. "I get it. Plus, I'm excited about going to the game tonight. Aren't you?"

Was I excited about the game? No. Not really. I was excited about seeing Edward in his uniform, but I wasn't excited about sitting in the stands surrounded by all those people. "Sure. I'm excited. It'll be fun."

Ben walked over to us and slung an arm around Angela's shoulders. "Good morning ladies."

"Morning Ben," we replied.

We headed towards our lockers listening to Ben discuss the awesomeness of some graphic novel that he was reading when I saw Edward walking down the hall. He was wearing his football jersey and a pair of jeans and he looked delicious.

"Good morning Bella."

"Morning Edward," I squeaked out as my face started to turn a brilliant shade of red. He smiled and greeted Angela and Ben and then asked me if I was coming to the game or not.

"Um..yeah. The three of us are going to go."

Edward got a huge smile on his face. "Excellent! I gotta hit up my locker before homeroom, but I'll see you in Biology." I couldn't help but watch as he walked away. Man, he made those jeans look good.

"Ooo boy, you got it bad Miss Bella," Ben snickered at me.

"Oh shut up," I said as I swatted him on his shoulder. After stopping at Ben's and then Angela's lockers we went to homeroom. I noticed Tanya giving me a glare as we sat down, but I couldn't find it in myself to care. I was fairly confident that Victoria had heard that Edward and I were still partners and she had Tanya keeping tabs on me. Whatever.

Homeroom ended quickly, and Angela and I headed to English class. Mr. Mason informed us that we were to decide which idea we wanted to write about and start outlining it. I scrawled out a note and slid it across the table to Angela.

_Oh shit. I actually have to write about one of these lame ideas._

She read my note and I saw her scribble something down.

_Lol. Have fun with that._

Bitch. I turned to a new page in my notebook and doodled out a few _I heart Rob Pattinson _and drew some crooked stick men. None of the ideas that I had picked out were appealing, so I got up from table and approached Mr. Mason.

"Excuse me, Mr. Mason?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"Um...I'm not a big fan of the ideas that I came up with and turned in. Can I use a different idea?"

Mr. Mason looked up at me with a slight frown on his face. "What did you have in mind?"

Shit! I wasn't expecting him to ask me that.

"Well...," I was totally stalling, trying to think on the fly. "You know that limerick about the man from Nantucket? I was thinking I could write about why he keeps his money in a bucket." Total face palm. That was just lame, but I couldn't think of anything. I seriously expected Mr. Mason to laugh at me and I wouldn't blame him.

"Go for it. It'll be interesting to read what you come up with."

I slowly made my way back to my desk, wondering just what I'd gotten myself into. As soon as I sat down, Angela slid a note my way.

_What's up?_

I explained that I wanted to write about something that wasn't one of my topics.

_So what are you going to write about?_

I looked down at her note and sighed. I really didn't want to say cause I knew she was gonna make fun of me.

_Mr. Mason asked me what I was going to write about then and all I came up with was writing about why the man from Nantucket kept his money in a bucket._

Out of the corner out of my eye, I saw Angela trying not to laugh as she read my note.

_Lol! Can't wait to read that story._

I crumpled up the note and threw it in my bag. I wasted the rest of class attempting to outline my new story. Oh, this was gonna be bad.

I walked into Social Studies the next hour and sat down at my usual desk in the back of the room. Normally, Eric sits in front of me and Jessica to my right, but not today. Today, Rosalie Hale sat down in front of me and Emmett McCarty sat next to me. To say I was confused would be an understatement. Rosalie Hale wasn't one to sit with the less fortunate such as myself. She was beautiful and she knew it. Tall, blonde, statuesque and a cheerleader. While she wasn't cruel like Victoria, she certainly didn't go out of her way to be friendly. And then there was Emmett McCarty. Emmett was a big dude. Seriously. The man was huge. Around 6'3", 200 some odd pounds of pure muscle. He and Rosalie had been dating since Freshman year and were the second most popular couple in school. The first, obviously, being Edward and Victoria. Rosalie and Emmett normally sat closer to the front of the class, so I couldn't imagine why they were sitting near me. I was so lost in thought, that I jumped when Emmett leaned over and poked me with his pencil.

"Hey Bellaluna," he said while laughing at me and continuing to poke me with his pencil.

"Um...hi." This was awkward. Emmett never really spoke to me. Sure once in a while he'd say hi to me if I saw him outside of school, but we never had conversations.

"Hope you don't mind me sitting next to you today."

"As long as you stop poking me with your pencil, it'll be fine," I grumbled at him.

"Emmett, would you leave her alone," Rosalie hissed at him from in front of me.

"Aw, c'mon Babe. The Clumsy Queen knows I'm just playing around, don'tcha?"

"Uh...sure." I was getting more confused by the minute. "So...why are you sitting here?"

Emmett looked at me with a hurt look on his face. "What? You don't want me to sit near you?"

"No, no. It's not that. It's just that you never sit near me. So why today?" I inquired.

"Do I need a reason? I figured today was a good day to change things up a bit and sit somewhere different," he said. I didn't buy a word of what he was saying. It didn't help that he looked a bit uncomfortable and wouldn't look me in the eye.

In front of me, I heard Rosalie sigh at Emmett's explanation. She turned around to face me while tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Alice asked us to keep an eye on you."

"Why?"

Rosalie looked at me like I was an idiot. I certainly felt like one. "I'm sure you saw the shit that when down in the parking lot yesterday?"

I nodded as she continued, "Well, Bree and Tanya told Victoria that you and Edward were still lab partners and she was pissed. She was arguing with Edward about you. She wants you out of the way. She feels you're a threat to her, although I can't figure out why."

I couldn't decide if I should be insulted by that or not, but before I could decide, she resumed her story, "So Edward told Alice about their argument, and Alice told Emmett and I. Alice asked us to look out for you since Bree is in this class. And we all know that Bree and Tanya will do anything that Victoria asks them. So here we are."

"Oh." That was all I could think to say. I was overwhelmed by everything that Rose had just told me. It was sweet of Alice to worry about me and I really did appreciate the gesture. And I must admit, I did feel a bit safer having Rosalie and Emmett by my side. More Rosalie than Emmett. Sure, he might be the footballer, but Rosalie's a force to be reckoned with. You don't fuck with her.

Sure enough, as soon as Bree walked in she threw me a nasty look and once seated, she whipped out her phone. Probably to send a text to Victoria, telling her that I was being guarded, and by a fellow cheerleader and a football player at that! Normally, I'm bored in Social Studies. I can't help it; the Industrial Age doesn't exactly thrill me. However, Social Studies class while sitting next to Emmett was a whole new experience. His paper, instead of being filled with notes, was filled with crude drawings of stick people in compromising situations. At least I think that's what they were. When he wasn't doodling, he was making faces behind Mrs. Dust's back or harassing Rosalie. I realized right then and there, that Emmett McCarty was nothing but a really big kid. All too soon, class ended and it was off to gym. I groaned at the thought.

"What's wrong Oh Graceless One?" Emmett asked me, as we were gathering up our bags.

Seriously. Oh Graceless One? Where did he come up with these names?

"Oh, I have gym next hour. I hate gym!"

"That's because you fall all over the place," Rosalie pointed out.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that."

"Whatever," Rosalie said as she rolled her eyes.

I headed out towards gym, with Emmett tagging along behind me like a puppy. I told him that he didn't have to escort me to class and that set him off talking about escorts and how expensive they are and how lucky I was that I got him for free. I realized that I enjoyed spending time with him and that he wasn't as intimidating as he looked. Once we got to the gym, he wished me luck in not harming myself and others. Jerk. Gym was a disaster. We were still playing volleyball and eventually it was my time to serve the ball. My first attempt hit Riley O'Brien in the back of the head and let me tell you, he was not happy about that. My second attempt was a complete failure and eventually, my team decided not let me serve. They stuck me in the back of the court and I wasn't paying much attention when all of a sudden the volleyball was flying my way. I'm not sure why I even bothered, but I attempted to hit the ball and I managed to hit it with my wrist and felt this horrible pain. Crap! It wasn't bruised yet, but I knew it would be before long. I was so happy when gym was over.

Mike and I walked toward the cafeteria as was our daily ritual and halfway there, I noticed Emmett moseying over towards us. Mike noticed it too and he seemed a bit upset.

"How was gym Bumbling Bella?"

I snorted. "Fabulous as always Emmett." Emmett gave me a grin and slung his arm over my shoulder as we continued walking to the cafeteria. Mike seemed a bit putout that I was getting along so well with Emmett and was unusually quiet. I got into line behind Emmett and watched in amazing disgust as he piled his tray full with food.

"Are you seriously going to eat all that?" I asked him over his shoulder.

"Of course I am! I'm a growing boy." I shuddered at the thought of anyone eating that much food in one sitting. Rosalie came up to us as we were getting ready to pay for our food and looked at Emmett's tray with as much disgust as I had. I walked behind Emmett and Rosalie and said goodbye to both of them as I headed to my table. Mike was already at our table and talking in a hushed voice to Jessica and Lauren. I sat down across from them and next to Eric and began picking at my food. I looked up as Ben and Angela approached the table and noticed that Mike, Jessica, and Lauren were giving me strange looks.

"What?"

"I didn't realize that you were friends with McCarty," Mike snarled at me. I was taken back by the venom I heard in his voice.

"Well, I wouldn't really say we're friends, more like acquaintances."

"Well you seemed awfully friendly with him if you ask me," Lauren said, deciding to add in her two cents. "You better watch yourself. If Rosalie finds out that you're flirting with her boyfriend, she's gonna hurt you."

I was starting to get pissed. "First of all, _Lauren_," I sneered her name, "I wasn't flirting with Emmett. I was being friendly. A concept that you obviously know nothing about. Second of all, how is it any of your business who I'm friends with? I didn't realize that by sitting at this table, there was a stipulation on who I could be friendly with. You know what you're problem is? You're jealous."

The look on Lauren's face was priceless. She let out a laugh. "Jealous? Please. Like I would be jealous of you."

"No, you are. I finally get it. You're jealous of me. Ever since Freshman year you've hated on me and I could never figure out why."

"God, you're such a loser. You keep on believing that I'm jealous of you. The truth is Bella, that **you** are jealous of **me** because I'm more popular than you."

I looked at her in disbelief. "Are you freaking kidding me? Unlike you, I have no desire to be popular. As for you being more popular than me, let me remind you that I'm the one who's been talking to Edward, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie. When was the last time you talked with them? Oh that's right, never!"

Lauren just sat there in stunned silence, then abruptly grabbed her tray and left the table with Mike and Jessica following closely behind. I felt like the world's biggest bitch, but at the same time I felt really good about letting it all out. The table was uncharacteristically silent after my outburst and I could feel them staring at me and then I heard clapping. I looked to my right and saw Ben applauding.

"Nicely done Bells. It's about time you put Lauren in her place. Now if you can just do that with Victoria, life will be good."

He was right. If I could stand up to Lauren then, reasonably, I should be able to stand up to Victoria. Except Victoria was a hell of a lot meaner and scarier than Lauren could ever dream to be. I glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that my little confrontation with Lauren had taken up quite a bit of my lunch time. If I didn't want to starve through the next few hours I would need to hurry up and eat my lunch. I scarfed down a bit of a ham and cheese sandwich and grabbed the apple off my tray to eat on the way to Biology since the bell would be ringing soon. I was tossing my apple back and forth in my hands while Angela and I were walking to Biology, when it slipped out of my hands. Luckily someone caught it before it fell to the floor.

"You know," a masculine voice mused, "it's against school policy to take food out of the cafeteria."

I looked up to see Edward holding my apple. "Well, I was going to eat on the way to class and no one would be the wiser."

"Ah, but I know. You're just a rebel, aren't you?"

I snorted. "Oh yeah, that's me. Bella Swan. High school rebel, rule breaker, future member of the FBI Most Wanted list."

Edward laughed at that and handed me back my apple. The three of us kept up a steady stream of conversation as we headed into the classroom. Edward and I made our way over to our table and got out our stuff.

"Alright class, today we will begin our introduction into dissections," Mr. Banner said.

I wrinkled my nose up at that. Ugh. I looked over at Edward and saw that he looked way too excited. I leaned over and whispered to him, "Don't tell me that you're actually looking forward to this?"

He grinned and whispered back, "Oh yeah. I've been looking forward to this for some time."

Ewww. Really? And he looked so normal. Guess Mr. Edward Cullen wasn't so perfect after all. Mr. Banner started handing out sheets and explained that our lab would consist of dissecting a fetal pig and that it would be broken up into seven sections. I shuddered at the thought of having to dissect anything, but especially a little pig. Mr. Banner then directed us to start gathering the equipment we would need. A dissecting pan, scissors, scalpel, forceps, probe, and twine. Mr. Banner would be providing us with the pig. Oh goody. Once we had everything we needed, Mr. Banner informed us that today would be spent examining the external anatomy of the pig.

When Mr. Banner placed the fetal pig in our dissection pan, I seriously thought I was gonna puke. This was way too gross to deal with right after lunch. Edward, on the other hand, seemed to be in his element. He donned a pair of latex gloves and started pointing out different parts of the pig's anatomy. I was so happy that he was all about doing this, cause I wasn't going to touch it with a ten-foot pole.

"This is gonna be awesome! I can't wait until we can start examining the internal organs."

"There's something wrong with you, Edward. Seriously wrong," I told him while labeling parts of the pig's anatomy on the worksheet in front of me.

"I'm perfectly normal thank you. I just find this kind of thing fascinating. I plan on being surgeon, so I guess it's a good thing I'm not squeamish."

"Well that explains it. I, on the other hand, have no desire to be a doctor or deal with anything involving blood, guts, organs, or whatever."

"So what do you want to do after high school?"

I was amazed at how easily Edward and I had fallen into conversation. Sure, I was still a bit shy around him, but he was so easy to talk to; particularly when I wasn't tripping around him.

"College is in the future, although I don't know where yet. I'd like to be an editor or own a bookstore. Something involving books, that's for sure."

We worked, well I should say Edward worked, quickly and soon our first portion of the lab was done. After Edward removed the gloves and washed his hands at the basin in the back of the room he sat down on the stool next to mine.

"So are you excited about the game tonight?"

"Honestly? No. I know nothing about football and I'm not a big fan of crowds, but Angela really wants to go, so I agreed. Besides, Ben feels that it isn't the full "high school experience" unless you go to at least one game."

"Well at least your honest. I think you'll have a good time. It's all about getting together with your friends and showing team spirit," he said with a grin.

"Whoo hoo. Go Spartans," I deadpanned.

"There you go," he laughed.

We were having such a nice conversation and class was almost over, so I decided once again, to not bring up Victoria. I would on Monday. No matter what, I swore to myself. I highly doubted I'd see him after the game tonight or talk to him on Facebook, so Monday would be good enough. I wished him luck and told him I'd see him on the field as we headed out the door.

Amazingly enough, the rest of my day was quiet. I think it helped that Victoria and her gang knew that I had people on my side watching out for me, or I should say, people on Edward's side looking out for me. I still got death glares from Bree and Tanya, but no one approached me on my way to my last class. Calculus was boring as usual, and I could feel Mike staring a hole into the back of my head the whole time. Part of me wanted to turn around and ask him what his problem was, but a bigger part of me just didn't care. After the bell rang, I headed toward my locker and then met up with Ben and Angela.

We walked out of the front doors and headed toward our respected vehicles after confirming our plans for tonight. Ben was going to pick us up and take us to the game and then we'd decided what we wanted to do afterward. While I wasn't looking forward to the game itself, I was looking forward to a night out with friends. I was about to climb into Chuck, when I heard Emmett holler out to me.

"Yo, B! You coming to the game tonight?"

Emmett was standing a few cars away from me with Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and Edward by his side. I nodded at him. "Awesome! Way till you see me kick some butt! Tonight is gonna rock!" I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. He was like a little kid who'd been given too much sugar. It's a wonder he and Alice weren't related. I opened the door to Chuck and threw my bag onto the seat when I felt someone come up behind me.

"Bella!" I turned and saw that it was Alice.

"Yes?"

"A bunch of us are going out to eat after the game. Do you want to come with? You can bring Angela and Ben."

"Oh, uh...let me talk to them, but I'm sure that'd be fine."

"Yay!" she squealed as she gave me a quick hug and got into her car. I climbed into the cab of the truck and sent Angela a quick text letting her know that we'd be invited to hang out with the big kids. She quickly texted me back saying how awesome that was and that she'd see me in a few hours. I drove home and called Charlie from the house once I got in ,to let him know of tonight's plans.

"Chief Swan."

"Hi, Dad."

"Oh, hey Bells. What's up?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Angela, Ben, and I are going to the game tonight and then out to eat with Alice Cullen and some of her friends."

"Sounds good. Be careful, and I want you home by midnight."

I agreed and hung up the phone. I had a few hours to kill, so I logged onto Facebook and updated my status to say that I'd be at the game. I noted that Alice had indeed, sent me a friend request and I gladly accepted it. I even had a friend request from one, Emmett McCarty. I accepted that request without a second thought. I really liked him; in the big brother sort of way. He was really funny and I appreciated him looking out for me, even though we're practically strangers. After playing some games, I sat down with a book and started to read and quickly lost track of time. Before I knew it, it was almost time for Ben to come pick me up. I swept my hair up into a ponytail and grabbed a jacket in case it got chilly. My stomach was full of butterflies and my hands felt clammy. Good Lord, you'd think I had a date instead of going to a game with friends. A few minutes later, I got a text from Ben telling me he was outside. I grabbed my wallet and keys and headed out to my first football game.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, so we didn't get to the game. I had planned on the game being part of this chapter but things got away from me, so we'll see it next chapter.


	6. We Will Rock You

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own a beat up set of taro cards, a blue feather duster, and a giant remote control.

A/N: As always, thanks for reading. A big thanks to Chylex28 for fixing my run-on sentences and adding the commas that I so despise. I'd like to thank my husband for giving me insight on how high school football is played, but that would've required him doing so. Instead he just made fun of me. **sighs**

**

* * *

**

Buddy you're a boy make a big noise  
Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day  
You got mud on yo' face  
You big disgrace  
Kickin' your can all over the place  
Singin'

We will we will rock you  
We will we will rock you

~We Will Rock You~ Queen

* * *

Surviving High School

After grabbing my keys, I checked my reflection in the mirror once more, took a deep breath, and headed out to Ben's car. I pulled open the car door and was greeted by the awesomeness that is Florence and the Machine coming through the speakers. Now this was a great way to start my Friday night. I slid in, buckled my belt, and joined Ben in serenading Angela with the lyrics to _You've Got the Love_. Angela covered her ears while shouting that we were horrible singers. Too true. Neither Ben nor I would have stand a chance on American Idol. After a few more minutes of torturing Angela, she reached over and turned the sound down.

"So Bella," she began while twisting in her seat to face me, "are you excited for your first ever high school football game?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"Not really. It's not like I understand anything about football."

"That's not the point! Who cares if you understand football? It's all about hanging out with your two incredibly awesome friends and having a good time. And a good time will be had!" she exclaimed.

I couldn't help but laugh at her exuberance. She was right. I might be going to this game under protest, but I was going to be hanging out with two awesome friends and I wanted to have some fun. Before I knew it, we were pulling into the school parking lot that was filled with what looked to be the entire town of Forks. There were all kinds of people dressed in Spartan colors, wearing face paint, some were even carrying banners or pennants. This was nuts! I mentioned to Ben that I had no idea people took high school football so seriously.

"Oh yeah, Bells. Small town folks love their football. How did you not know this? Isn't your dad a huge football fan?"

"Like I pay attention to what Charlie says when he starts talking sports. So this is what I'm missing when I stay at home on a Friday night during," before I could continue my conversation with Ben, I was roughly bumped into by a rabid fan wearing a Spartan's sweatshirt.

"Jerk," I mumbled after I righted myself. Angela hooked her arm through mine, grabbed Ben's hand (which had me raising an eyebrow at her), and started marching us toward the entrance to the "stadium." The stadium was a bunch of risers surrounding a football field with some concession stands parked here and there. Ben had bought our tickets for us and handed them to the woman at the ticket booth and we made our way toward the bleachers. I looked up at the bleachers and was amazed at how quickly they were filling up. Ben, still holding Angela's hand, started tugging her up the bleachers. I slowly followed after them, not wanting to try out for the Bleacher Olympics. I had the feeling that tumbling down metal bleachers wouldn't end well for me. We were about halfway up them when I heard someone call my name. I quickly turned around and almost biffed it. A large male hand reached out and steadied me before I fell to my death. Taking a steadying breath, I looked up and saw that Dr. Cullen had saved my life. What? I couldv'e died had fallen down the bleachers.

"That was a close call, my dear. Having to stitch you up or fix a broken bone of yours isn't exactly what I had in mind for my Friday night," he said while smiling.

I smiled at him and replied, "Well thanks to you, no stitching or mending of bones is necessary. Thanks Dr. Cullen."

"Your welcome. How is your head feeling?"

We made small talk for a few more minutes and then the cheerleaders came out and people started going nuts. I said goodbye to Dr. and Mrs. Cullen and made my way up to Ben and Angela who had found a spot for us to sit a few rows up. I sat down next to Angela and noticed the rest of our table gang was sitting down the row. Pretty soon the cheerleaders were leading the crowd in some sort of cheer and waving their pompoms around. I had no idea what was going on, but everyone seemed very excited. I could see Alice down on the field, jumping all over the place like a spider monkey on speed. Rosalie was a bit more composed. She was waving her pompoms around and flashing her beautiful smile to the crowd. Victoria, on the other hand, was strutting around like the queen bee that she is. I couldn't help but scowl when I saw her. Stupid bitch. After a few minutes of cheering and whatnot, the announcer came over the speakers.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome your starting team...The Forks Spartans!"

The crowd went wild. Seriously. That's when I noticed the team come onto the field and start doing some warm up stuff and I couldn't help but clap and cheer with the crowd. After the warm ups, this girl got up and sang the National Anthem (rather badly I might add), a coin was tossed and the game began. Now I know nothing about football, and Angela and Ben were as clueless about it as me, so I was lost as to what was happening on the field. I just know that Edward looked hot in his uniform. Oh yeah, totally drool worthy. As the game progressed I was surprised at how much fun I was having. I was on the edge of my seat when Edward through a long pass and stood up and cheered with the rest of the crowd when Jasper caught the ball and ran it in for a touchdown.

"Holy shit! That was awesome!" I yelled to Angela over the roar of the crowd. She grinned at me and gave me a thumbs up. The game flew by and before I knew it there was only a few minutes left on the clock and time was running out. The Spartans were ahead by seven points and everyone was watching with baited breath. The rival team, the Bulldogs, had the ball and were making their way down the field when Emmett came out of nowhere and tackled the guy with the ball.

"Hell yeah! Go Emmett!" I jumped up and screamed. The crowd was screaming with me and we watched as the clock ran out and the Spartans were declared the winners. The stands were shaking as we all stamped our feet and cheered. I turned to Angela and gave her a quick hug.

"What was that for?"

I smiled at her. "For making me come to the game. This has been awesome!"

We sat there talking about the game for a few minutes, waiting for the crowd to thin out before attempting to make our way down the bleachers. We had just reached the bottom when Alice came running over.

"Bella!" she squealed as she grabbed me in a hug. "How awesome was this game? I'm sooo excited that we won! Did you see my Jazzy catch that throw? He's so amazing!" Laughing, I hugged her back and informed that indeed the game was awesome and her Jazzy was amazing.

"So you guys are still coming out tonight right?"

I looked over at Ben and Angela, who both nodded, and told Alice that we were still on.

"Awesome! Rose and I are gonna wait for the guys to finish showering and then we'll meet you all at the diner. Everyone's going to be there!" She gave me another hug and ran off to talk to her parents and Rose.

I followed Ben and Angela out to the parking lot where we got into Ben's car and waited in the line leading out of the lot. Something about what Alice had said was bugging me. That's when it hit me. Everyone was going to be there. Everyone, meaning Bitchtoria and her fellow members of the Bimbo Bitch Brigade. Ugh. Suddenly, this night didn't seem so exciting after all.

"Maybe we shouldn't go the diner," I voiced from the backseat.

Ben looked at me in the rear-view mirror. "Why not?"

"Um...well, we aren't exactly Forks High royalty. I mean, I know Alice invited us and all, but won't it be weird, us being there?"

"What brought this on?"

I tugged on a strand of hair and just shrugged.

"Bella?"

"Hmm..."

"Is this because you're nervous to see Edward? Or because you're scared to see Bitchtoria?"

Sighing, I met Ben's eyes in the mirror. "A little bit of both."

Angela reached around and patted my knee. "We're going. If Victoria has a problem with us being there, then it's her problem. Alice invited us. Besides, the diner is a public venue. It's not like we need an engraved invitation to be there."

I sat back in my seat and sighed. I knew Angela was right, but that didn't make me feel any better. The high I had been feeling at the game had faded, and now I was a bundle of nervous energy. I was nervous at seeing Edward, but I was far more worried about Victoria's reaction. She'd probably think that I was there to try and gain Edward's affection. I was so caught up in my internal musings, that I hadn't realized that we were out of the parking lot, and almost to the diner. The closer we got, the more nervous I became. All too soon, we arrived, and Ben parked the car. I sat in the back rambling on about nothing, just trying to stall, when Jasper and Alice pulled up into the spot next to us. They waved to us, as we all got out of our cars, and walked toward the diner together.

"Great game, Jasper!" Ben said.

"Thanks man," Jasper grinned as he threw his arm around Alice. I couldn't help but smile at them. They were such a sweet couple. Alice was this tiny ball of energy who was constantly talking and Jasper was tall, lanky, and quiet. They complimented each other perfectly. Jasper was the macaroni to Alice's cheese and I was jealous. I wanted what they had.

Jasper opened the door to the diner, and we were instantly thrown into the chaos. A ton of people were already there and had pushed together a bunch of tables. Waitresses were hovering around trying to hand out menus or take orders, but seemed unaffected by all the people and noise. As Jasper came in the door, a cheer went up from the crowd. People were all over him, congratulating him on his awesome play. I did my best to blend into the wall, not wanting to be noticed. This was so not my scene. Jasper eventually untangled himself from his fans and pulled Alice toward one of the tables near the back, motioning for us to follow them. The five of us were seated around a table, drinks in hand, when then the bell above the door jingled. I looked up and saw Edward, Victoria, Bree, Tanya, Rosalie, and Emmett come walking in the door, with the rest of the team following them. They were immediately swamped by hordes of people congratulating them on the game. I could tell that Victoria was loving all the attention that went with dating the quarterback. Eventually, Emmett and Rosalie headed our way.

"Hey, hey Your Royal Klutziness!" Emmett boomed at me as he sat down across from me.

"Hey Emmett."

"So...did you enjoy watching me out on the field? Of course you did. I was so freaking awesome!"

Giggling at him I replied, "Yes, Emmett, you were awesome."

Rosalie looked at me and sighed. "Really, Bella, don't encourage him."

Emmett gave me a wink, and then turned to Rosalie. "Aw, c'mon Babe. You know I was amazing."

Rosalie just rolled her eyes at him and jabbed him in the gut with her elbow. I noticed, like I had with Jasper and Alice, how well these two fit together. And once again, I was hit with a pang of envy. Was it sad to want what they had? I turned to my right to ask Angela, but noticed that she and Ben had their heads bent close to one another, having a quiet conversation. Suddenly, I felt incredibly alone. It occurred to me, that once Ben and Angela officially started dating, I would be the third wheel. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for them. But I had a feeling that everything was going to change, and as a result, I was going to be left behind.

_Thawp!_ WTF? I felt something wet hit my arm and looked down to see a crumpled up, wet straw wrapper laying next to my arm on the table. I looked around the table and noticed Emmett trying not to snicker, while feigning innocence.

"What are you? Five?" I asked him.

"Me?" he said, while pointing to himself. "I didn't do anything."

"Uh huh. You're going to tell me, that you didn't throw this," I pointed to the soggy wrapper, "at me?"

"I'm hurt that you think I'd throw something at you," he said with a wounded look on his face.

I was getting ready to say something else to him, when Edward and the BBB (Bimbo Bitch Brigade) came over to us. I couldn't help but notice how wonderful he smelled, and the way his hair fell into his eyes. I wanted to reach up and brush that stray lock away from his face, but managed to resist. He flashed me that beautiful smile of his, while Victoria shot me a glare. He pulled out the chair next to mine and sat down. Victoria looked more than a little put out that he chose to sit there. Too bad.

"Glad to see that you came out Bella."

"I surprisingly had a good time," I told him.

"See. I told you, you'd have fun."

"You were right. I admit it."

He flashed me a grin, and then leaned around me, greeting Angela and Ben and telling them he was glad they came to hang out. Shortly after Edward sat down, the waitress came and took our orders. I was appalled at how much Emmett ordered and mentioned it to Edward. He snorted, "That's nothing. You should see him at an all you can eat buffet."

I shuddered at the thought. I was amazed at how comfortable I was talking to Edward now, as opposed to earlier this week. We kept up a steady stream of conversation for the next ten minutes, until Victoria made her presence known.

Blood red nails wrapped around Edward's hand, which was resting on the table, and she leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Whatever it was that she said, he didn't seem to agree with because he shrugged her off. I was trying not to pay too much attention to them. and quickly immersed myself in conversation with Alice about the upcoming dance. Five minutes later, I was wishing I'd kept my mouth shut. I don't think she took a breath once during that time. She was going on about her dress, Jasper's outfit, flowers, the theme of the dance and it just kept going. Jasper must have noticed that my eyes were starting to glaze over, cause he leaned over and put his hand over her mouth, effectively shutting her up.

"I think you're overwhelming Bella, Darling," he said, before removing his hand.

"Sorry Bella. I'm just so excited about it!"

I laughed at her and told her that I could tell she was a bit excited. While we were talking, Victoria had dragged Edward off to a quiet corner of the diner. They seemed to be having, yet another, heated argument. Edward kept shaking his head at her and she looked like a three year old, about to throw a tantrum after having her toy taken away. Alice followed my gaze and let out a sigh.

"I don't know what he sees in her. She's such a bitch," she huffed to me across the table.

I whipped my head around to look at her. I knew she had asked Emmett and Rosalie to look out for me, but I hadn't realized that she wasn't a Victoria fan. The shock must have showed on my face, because Alice quickly explained.

"I've never liked her. When we first moved here, she never paid Edward the time of day. But when he became the star quarterback, she was suddenly all over him. I tolerate her only because she's his girlfriend, and because we cheer together. If I didn't have to deal with her everyday, I wouldn't."

"Does he know that you don't like her?" I asked.

She nodded, "Yeah. I think he's always known. You know that argument they had the other day after school?"

I nodded.

"Well, she was bitching to him, because she doesn't want you to be his lab partner. She demanded that he change partners and he refused. Victoria doesn't like it when people refuse her. She's used to getting her way and will use any means to get what she wants."

"So that's why you asked Emmett and Rosalie to look out for me?"

"Yep. I wouldn't wish the wrath of Victoria on anyone, especially not on someone as nice as you. You're always so quiet and super nice and I know we aren't really friends, but we should be. We'll have to start hanging out more often, cause I have a feeling that we're gonna be great friends. I just know it!"

"I'd like that. Besides Angela and Ben, I don't really have any close friends."

She gave me a big smile. "Well that's gonna change. I'm telling you. We're gonna be best friends!"

We were interrupted when the waitresses arrived with our food. It took three of them to bring out all of Emmett's food. He had burgers, fries, pizza, mozzarella sticks, and who knows what else. Jasper asked him if he was planning on sharing any of it and the look on Emmett's face was hilarious. By this time, Edward, sans Victoria, came back and sat down. He reached over and snagged some of Emmett's fries which resulted in some very colorful insults being flung.

Soon talk turned to the game and Emmett began giving us a play by play, all while talking with his mouth full, and swinging his hands all around. And then it happened. I knew it was gonna happen. Emmett was standing, describing Jasper's catch and went to re-enact it, when the burger he was holding went flying. I watched in horror as the burger came flying my way. There was nothing I could do; I didn't even have time to duck. Just as this half-eaten, mangled burger was about to hit me in the face, a hand reached out and snagged it. No fucking way! Unbelievable. Jasper had snatched it out of the air and sat back down, as calmly as could be and proceeded to take a big bite out of it. There was stunned silence, and then the table erupted into laughter and claps.

"Oh Bella! The look on your face. That was priceless," Emmett managed to get out between laughs.

I pointed a finger at him and gave him my best death glare, "It's on, Emmett. It's on. Best watch your back."

I don't think he took my threat very seriously, because he started laughing even harder. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Edward trying not to laugh at me, but it soon became too much for him. He busted out laughing and I hmmphd and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Jerks," I muttered. Glancing down at myself, I noticed that some ketchup from the flying burger had splattered on my shirt.

"Damn it, Emmett! You got ketchup on my shirt!" I scowled at him.

"Sor...sorry Bella," he managed to say still giggling about the whole thing.

I told Angela that I was going to head to the bathroom to see if I couldn't keep the ketchup from staining, and she said she'd go with me. We made our way to the ladies room and opened the door, not noticing that one of the stalls was occupied. I turned on the cold water, while Angela got some paper towels.

"So," she began, "you certainly seem to be getting along with Edward."

"Hmmm...yeah. At least I don't turn bright red when I talk to him anymore. That was so embarrassing," I replied while dabbing at the stain with a damp paper towel. "He's so nice. And it doesn't hurt that he's gorgeous." We busted into giggles at that.

"I wonder what he and Victoria were arguing about?" Angela asked.

"I'm not sure. I do know what the argument in the parking lot was about."

"Well?"

"According to Alice, they argued because Victoria wanted Edward to quit being my lab partner and he refused."

"Good for him."

I nodded in response. I noticed that the ketchup was mostly out of my shirt, so I dabbed at it once more, and then threw the paper towel in the garbage just as a toilet flushed. We looked at each other in horror. Crap! A sinking feeling came over me, even before the person walked out of the stall. Angela grabbed my arm and tried to drag me towards the door, but my feet wouldn't move. The stall door opened and out came Victoria. Shit, shit, shit! I knew, right then and there, my life was over. I didn't want to die in a bathroom, but there was no way I was walking out of here alive. And Angela. Poor Angela. She was going to be a causality of war. I hoped her parents would forgive me for getting her murdered. Victoria walked over to the sink, washed her hands, and proceeded to check her reflection in the mirror. Once she deemed herself ready for war, she turned to us. The look on her face, well...let's just say that it's a good thing looks can't kill.

"I've fucking had it with you Swan! I've told you time, and time again, to leave Edward alone. He. Is. Mine. He will never be yours! And do you know why? Because you're a pathetic loser. A skinny, pale-ass bitch who can't walk across a flat surface without tripping. Maybe somewhere in that delusional head of yours, you think that he'll dump me for you, but he won't. I'm Victoria James. I'm Forks High royalty and I **own** Edward! So I will tell you one more time. Back the fuck off of my man, or I will destroy your pathetic life."

And with that, she stalked out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Angela and I just stood there stunned, looking at one another.

"Well, that was interesting," Angela said.

"Uh...yeah. It, um, actually went better than I expected. I thought for sure we'd be laying dead on the floor."

Angela was about to say something when the door opened and Alice walked in with Rosalie. She hurried over to us and put an arm around my shoulder. "Oh my God! Are you okay? I saw Victoria come out of here and realized that the two of you were still in here. She didn't hurt you did she?"

I shook my head. "No, just the usual threats of how I need to stay away from Edward or she'll destroy my life."

Rosalie was standing next to Alice, looking at her nails, not really seeming to care if Victoria had injured me or not. In a bored voice she said, "I don't know why she even wastes her breath, to tell you the truth. It's not like you're anything special."

"Rose!" Alice exclaimed, "Be nice!"

"Emmett and I watched out for her the other day didn't we? I don't particularly want to waste my time babysitting her. No offense, Bella."

"Um, none taken, I guess." I was a little unsure of where Rosalie stood on this whole thing. It's not like she and I were friends, but she was friends with Alice and maybe Victoria.

"Well, let's get back out there. I'm sure you're foods getting cold by now," Alice said.

The four of us left the bathroom and headed back to our table. I noticed that everyone was looking our way and I ducked my head down to avoid their gazes. As we approached our seats, I noticed Victoria sitting next to Edward, looking rather smug. I pulled out my chair, sat down, and started picking at the food that was on my plate. My appetite had deserted me after my encounter with Victoria, and it was hard to forget the fact that she was sitting right there on the other side of Edward. Edward obviously noticed that something was wrong because, he leaned over to me.

"You okay Bella?"

I shook my head no at him, but didn't say anything. He looked like he was about to say something else, when Victoria tugged on his arm.

"Eddie, I'm ready to go."

"Alright. See you guys later." He stood up and put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before he and Victoria headed out. I was ready to head out myself and mentioned it to Angela and Ben. They agreed, and we said our goodbyes to everyone. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett thanked us for coming and told us that we'd have to do it again. We were all pretty quiet on the ride to my house. As we pulled into my driveway, I slowly unbuckled my belt.

"Well guys, it was fun till the whole bathroom encounter."

Ben gave me a small smile. "Maybe the next time we go to a game, we'll just avoid the after party."

"Oh, so you think we're gonna go to another game, do you?"

"Yeah. At least I'm going. I had a blast at the game, despite the fact that I didn't understand a damn thing that was happening."

Angela agreed with him, and after a few more minutes of small chat, we all agreed that we would go to another game, but avoid the diner afterwards. I said goodbye to them, and was reminded by Angela that we were going dress shopping in the morning with Jessica. Ugh. I'd forgotten about that.

Charlie called out to me as I walked in the door. "Hey Bells, is that you?"

"Who else would it be?"

"I don't know. So did you have fun at the game?"

I walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. "Yeah, it was pretty fun. It was nice to get out of the house."

I didn't feel the need to tell him all about Victoria and the hating that went down. It was a little after ten-thirty, but I felt drained from the events of the day. I told Charlie I was going to bed and reminded him that I was going shopping in the morning. That got a laugh out of him.

"You're voluntarily going shopping?"

I let out a sigh. "Yeah. I told Angela and Jessica I'd go with them, to help pick out dresses for the dance."

"Oh. Are you going to the dance?"

"Seriously Dad? Us, Swans, don't dance. We're not coordinated enough."

"True, true. I'm going fishing with Billy tomorrow. I'll probably be gone when you get up, so I'll see you when I get home."

"Sounds good, Dad. Have fun fishing. Tell Billy I said hi."

"Will do."

I carefully made my way upstairs, changed into my pj's and booted up my computer. I logged into Facebook and loaded up my usual games. I wasn't in the mood to even play them, but I was hoping that Edward would log on and we could chat. Thirty minutes later, Edward still hadn't logged on, or if he had, he didn't have his chat on. I logged out and shut down my computer. I climbed into bed and closed my eyes, knowing that 9 am would arrive too early, and then I'd be in for a day of shopping "fun."

* * *

A/N: My first high school football game was spent chasing some boy around attempting to flirt with him. It didn't go so well. *sighs* What was you first high school football experience like?


	7. Shopping Song

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own an old school Nintendo, an autographed picture of Christina Ricci, and a sparkly red dress.

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! And of course, thanks to Chylex28 for finding and fixing my errors. Not to mention, her brilliant ideas!

* * *

Shopping. We're only happy when we're shopping.  
We're only happy if we shop until we drop.  
In search of bargains we will never stop.  
When God created the universe, He pulled out all the stops.  
First, He created all mankind. Then She created shops.  
Shopping, we're really happy when we're shopping.  
We're really happy if we shop until we drop!  
In search of bargains we will never stop, stop, stop!  
We'll shop and shop and shop, shop, shop!

~Shopping Song~ Monty Python

* * *

Surviving High School

I rolled over as the alarm on my clock went off and slammed my hand down on it, until the stupid thing shut off. I slowly peeled an eye open and noticed the time. Ugh! 8:30 was way too early to be getting up on a Saturday morning. I kicked off my covers and tiredly trudged my way to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, I grimaced at what I saw. My hair was a tangled rat's nest and I had dark circles under my eyes. Despite going to bed fairly early, I'd tossed and turned all night with strange dreams, starring both Edward and Victoria. After showering, I headed back to my room to find some comfy clothes to get me through this tedious journey that I was about to embark on. What had possessed me to agree to go shopping with them? Oh yeah. I thought it'd be fun to have a girl's day out. Not sure how much fun it was actually going to be. A few minutes after I finished putting my hair into a ponytail, Jessica called me to tell me she would be arriving in about five minutes.

I cautiously navigated my way downstairs and grabbed a granola bar, just as Jessica pulled into the drive. I headed out the door, locking it behind me and groaned when I noticed that Lauren was in the front seat. I'd somehow forgotten that she was going shopping with us. I opened the back door and slid in next to Angela, who looked as tired as me.

Jessica turned around in the driver's seat and smiled at me. "Thanks for coming, Bella! We're gonna have so much fun today! I can't wait to go shopping!"

"Yeah," I replied, rather weakly. I was so not looking forward to this. Beside me, Angela gave me a sympathetic smile and patted my arm.

"It'll be all good, Bella. We'll have fun."

"Sure we will," I mumbled.

The car ride to Port Angeles was pretty quiet. Things between Lauren and I were still tense. Honestly, I couldn't bring myself to care whether or not I had hurt her feelings. She hadn't said one word to me yet, and that was fine. I didn't have anything to say to her; well nothing nice anyway. Jessica and Lauren kept a running conversation about what type of dresses they wanted to get, and about the dance in general. Angela and I talked quietly in the backseat about some class assignments and TV shows that we had watched. Halfway to Port Angeles, Jessica brought up the football game.

"So, Bella," she began, "I saw you at the game. Did you have fun?"

"I did. I didn't understand what was going on, but I still had a good time." I deliberately left out the fact that we had gone to the diner afterward, but I should have known that the gossip girls would have heard that we had gone there.

"I heard that you all went to the diner with the football team after the game was over."

I shared a look with Angela and replied, "Yeah. Alice invited us to hang out with them after the game."

"Well?"

I met Jessica's gaze in the rear view mirror and she must have noticed my confused expression.

"Seeing as how I've never been invited to hang out with them, you have to tell me all about it! What was it like?"

"Uh...it was chaotic."

"Bella! You have to give me more than that!"

I couldn't help but laugh at her insistence. "Fine. Fine." I said shaking my head.

"It was chaotic though. We walked in with Jasper and Alice, and people were all over Jasper the minute we opened the door. A bunch of the tables had been pushed together in the back and we ended up sitting with Jasper and Alice. Eventually Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, and Victoria showed up and then they sat down with us, too."

At this point Angela broke in and continued the story; telling her about Emmett's antics and how I almost got a burger in the face. Jessica was eating it up, living vicariously through our experience. Lauren, on the other hand, was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face. She didn't seem to share Jessica's enthusiasm over our experience of hanging out with the cool kids. When Angela was done telling her story, and Jessica was done laughing at me, Lauren turned around.

"I have a question for you, Bella."

I had a feeling I wasn't going to like the question.

"Who did you have to screw to get invited to hang out with them?"

What? Jessica must have been as shocked as Angela and I were by this question because she jerked the wheel and we veered off the road slightly.

"Lauren! What is wrong with you? Bella isn't like that!" Jessica exclaimed.

While Jessica and I had never been extremely close, I was glad to hear her come to my defense.

"Oh come on, Jess. How else would **Bella** get invited? It's not like she's popular. She's not even pretty!"

I was getting a little pissed off by now. I realize that I'm no raving beauty like Rosalie, but I'm not exactly ugly either. I'm kinda plain and boring, but so what. That doesn't mean that I can't hang out with the popular people.

"I'm sitting right here, Lauren. **And** the reason I got invited to hang out with them is because I'm friends with them." Okay, so that might have been a bit of a stretch, but I was friendly with Alice, Edward, and Emmett.

She scoffed at my answer. "Friends. Right."

Angela glared at the back of Lauren's head and said, "She **is** friends with them. Stop being a jealous bitch."

My mouth fell open. Angela rarely swore, and the fact that she just did, told me how upset she was. Lauren must have realized how badly she had pissed Angela off, because she mumbled out an apology, or at least that's what I thought it was. Needless to say, the rest of the ride was spent in silence, while I contemplated ways to kill Lauren and make it look like an accident.

We got into Port Angeles around 10, and Jessica drove us to Maurice's. After the car was parked, we all got out and made our way inside. Jessica and Lauren made a dash toward the dress section, with Angela and I following a bit more slowly behind them. I loathed shopping, and I knew that Jessica and Lauren would take forever. I stuck close to Angela and gave my opinion, when asked. Angela picked out several different dresses to try on. I followed her to the dressing room, where I waited outside. Angela came out in a pretty red dress with a hem that fell just above her knee. We both agreed it was cute, but not quite what she was looking for. While she went back into the room to try on another dress, Lauren came out of the room she was in. She had found a short black dress that was too tight and had a plunging neckline.

"Hey Jess! Look at this dress! I think this is the one," she called out to Jessica.

Jessica came out of the dressing room with a pretty purple dress on and looked at Lauren.

"I don't know, Lauren. It's a little low cut isn't it?"

Lauren tossed back her hair, pushed out her chest and went back to checking herself out. "I think it looks good."

"I guess. I just don't want you to get kicked out of the dance because your dress isn't appropriate."

Lauren let out a sigh and then agreed with Jessica. She went back to change and then go find more dresses. In the mean time, Angela had come out and was wearing a beautiful pink dress with some cute ruffles around the bottom half.

"What do you think, Bella?"

"I think that's the one. It's cute and looks great on you."

She beamed. "I think you're right. Now I just need some shoes and jewelry, then I'm good to go."

This is why I enjoyed shopping with Angela. No fuss. She knew that I barely tolerated shopping and did her best to make it as quick and painless as possible for me. She found a bracelet that she wanted and then we went to the shoe section. Angela looked around, but didn't find anything that called to her. We decided to head to Payless, down the street and let Jessica and Lauren know where we were heading. We spent the next forty minutes looking at shoes and Angela found a pair that would go great with her dress.

After we left the shoe store, we met up with Jessica and Lauren. Seeing as how it was around 11:30, we all decided to eat lunch at this little Italian restaurant. After the girls put their bags in Jessica's car, we headed toward the restaurant. I saw a bookstore showcasing a novel that I'd been wanting to read.

"Hey guys. I'm gonna stop in at the bookstore real quick and pick up this book I've been wanting."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Angela asked me.

I shook my head. "Nah. I'm good. I'll only be a few minutes. I'll meet you at the restaurant."

"Okay. We'll see you there."

I waved to them as I crossed the road and entered the store. Time passes differently for me when I'm in a bookstore. I get caught up in all the books surrounding me, and can easily spend days inside a bookstore. I grabbed the book that I wanted from the shelf, but ended up browsing. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but I knew I'd been in here quite some time. I pulled out my phone and checked the time, only to find that I had several texts from Angela wanting to make sure I was okay. I quickly texted her back, saying I was fine and that I'd lost track of time. I went to the counter, bought my book and headed out the door. I stood at the corner, waiting for some cars to pass when I saw a familiar looking red head walking my way. Victoria. Shit! I saw an opening in the traffic and ran as fast as I dared across the road all the while praying I didn't trip and get run over. I safely made it to the other side of the road, (now knowing the terror that Frogger must feel when trying to cross the road and not get squashed) and made my way to the restaurant. I told the hostess that I was meeting a group of friends and she led me over to the table where Angela, Jessica, and Lauren were sitting.

"I thought you might have gotten lost, Bella," Jessica said, as I sat down.

I heard Lauren mumble under her breath that it was too bad I hadn't gotten lost. Whatever. I apologized to Jessica and mentioned that I'd gotten caught up at the bookstore. I placed my order, and we all sat around discussing the dresses, shoes, and jewelry that had been bought. Despite Lauren and her attitude, I was having a pretty decent time. After Lauren and Jessica got up to go to the bathroom, I mentioned to Angela that I'd seen Victoria on the street.

"What was she doing? Hooking?"

I busted out laughing. What a great mental picture that made. "No. At least I don't think so, but now that you mention it, it's a possibility. She has to pay for her clothes habit somehow."

We giggled some more at the thought, but quieted when we noticed the girls coming back. After our lunch was done, we went back to Jessica's car and piled in.

"Where to ladies?" Jessica asked.

"I don't care," Angela replied and I nodded, agreeing with her.

Lauren mentioned going to see some romantic comedy that she'd been wanting to see and pulled up the times on her phone. There was a show starting at 1:30, so we all agreed to go see it. Twenty minutes into the movie, I was so bored I could barely keep my eyes open. I only intended to close my eyes for a minute, but I must have fallen asleep.

_I was walking out of the bookstore, with new purchase in hand, so caught up in the excitement of my new book, that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I found myself in a part of town that I'd never been in before, and all I could see were old buildings and several alleys. Where the hell was I? I pulled out my phone to call Angela and noticed that I didn't get any __cell service. Crap! I quickly looked around for anyone who could help me, but didn't see anyone. I turned around, intending to head back the way I'd come when I saw some unsavory characters coming towards me. A feeling of unease came over me. I crossed the street and continued to head back the way I came, when they started hollering at me. _

"_Hey wait!" one of them called to me. I kept my head down, gaze averted and kept going. I heard footsteps behind me, coming closer and closer, and panic started to set in. I walked as quickly as I dared, knowing that running would only result in injury. I took a look behind me and noticed them rapidly approaching me. Shit, shit, shit! I was trembling something horrible, but I managed to squeak out, "Leave me alone."_

"_Hey baby. Don't be like that," one of the men said, as they all started laughing. Too soon, they were right behind me. I braced myself for an attack and tried to recall what little bit of self-defense I knew, which sadly wasn't much. I wasn't going down without a fight, and I had a nice scream saved up. Just as one of them reached out to grab my arm, a shiny Volvo drove down the street and came to a screeching halt. The passenger door opened and a furious voice told me to get in. Edward. I jumped into the car, slamming the door behind me. He gunned the engine and got us out of there. _

"_Bella, are you alright?"_

_I nodded and croaked out a yes. He let out a sigh and pushed trembling fingers through his hair. _

"_Jesus, Bella! What the hell were you thinking, wandering around there by yourself?" he shouted at me._

"_I...I don't know how I ended up there. I was at the bookstore and suddenly I ended up there. I was so scared," and then I broke out in tears. Sobs wracked my body and I felt the car pull over. I heard him unclick his seatbelt, and then his arms were around me. He pulled me closer, __tucking me into his chest and just held me while I cried. Once I was cried out, I pushed away form his chest. Edward cupped his hands around my face, wiping away my tears with his thumbs._

"_Don't ever scare me like that again," he demanded in a raspy voice._

_I nodded. He rested his forehead against mine and let out a sigh, as I gazed into his beautiful green eyes. His thumb swept over my lower lip and then he gently leaned down, pressing his lips to mine. It was a sweet kiss filled with so much emotion. I pressed my lips to his harder and let my fingers delve into his gorgeous hair. This was perfect. _

"Bella!" someone said while roughly shaking my shoulder.

"Huh?" I said, while squinting as the lights came up.

"I know the movie was bad, but I didn't realize it was that bad," Angela said from my right.

I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and realized that we were still in the theater.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to fall asleep."

She giggled. "It's okay. Although you seemed to be having an interesting dream. Probably more interesting than that movie was."

"I was dreaming that I was lost and being chased by some bad dudes. Then Edward came to the rescue and saved me."

"That sucks. Not the whole Edward rescuing you deal, but the bad dudes chasing you part."

"Yep."

Now that I was awake, I stretched my arms and stood up while the girls gathered up their stuff, and we headed back to Jessica's car. On the ride home, the girls all talked about the movie. Since I'd dozed off, I had nothing to contribute. Oh well. A little after 4:30 pm, Jessica pulled into my drive. I thanked her for inviting me and told her that I'd had a good time. Angela told me she'd call me later, and I waved to them, as I headed up the steps. Of course I should know better than to try and do two things at once. I managed to trip up the front steps and bang my shin pretty good on the porch. I hobbled up to the door, unlocked it, and went in. I hung up my keys and purse and threw myself down on the couch, immersing myself in my new book. While I love the classics, there are times when I enjoy a good mystery, and the new book by Brad Meltzer was one I'd been craving to read. I was so caught up in the mystery, that I was startled when the clock on the wall chimed that it was six. Charlie would be home soon and I wanted to have something for dinner made. I was tired of eating out and wandered into the kitchen to see what we had. I opened up the freezer and noticed that we had enough fish to feed us for the next three years. I had a feeling that Charlie would be adding more fish to it when he got home. I grabbed some of the fish and started to prepare it, so I could make fish tacos. They sound gross, but they're really good, and Charlie loves them. Just as I was setting the table, I heard the door open.

"Bells?"

"In the kitchen, Dad."

"Hey kiddo. How was your shopping trip?"

"Eh...it was pretty good. Angela got a really cute dress for the dance. We ate at this little Italian place and then went and saw a movie."

"So a pretty good day then, huh?"

"Yeah. How about you? Catch any fish?"

He got a disgruntled look on his face when I asked him that. "Billy got all the fish today. I couldn't get a fish to bite to save my life."

"That's too bad. Well, there's always next Saturday."

He nodded. I told him that we were having fish tacos for dinner. He seemed to get some sort of satisfaction, knowing that he would be eating fish, as if he was getting revenge on those that got away. Charlie was a strange man. Dinner was a pretty quiet affair. It usually is in our house, since neither of us are big talkers. After dinner was cleaned up and the dishes were washed, Charlie headed into the living room to watch some game on the TV. I grabbed my book from the coffee table and headed upstairs to finish reading.

Around eight, I finished my book and booted up my computer. I checked my email and noticed that I had a message from my mom, Renee. I shot off a short email to her, letting her know that I was alive and well and that I was glad her pottery classes were going well. After sending the email, I logged into Facebook and updated my status. **Bella Swan **_is__wondering if you've ever eaten a crayon? _What can I say? I like to have random statuses. I loaded up one of the games that I love to play, and started clicking away like a madman. Within minutes, I got several notifications that people had responded to my status. I chuckled as I read some of the responses. Apparently, Mike had never eaten a crayon, but he did stick one of those markers that smell like fruits up his nose. Why was I not surprised? Emmett claimed that he'd never eaten a crayon, but was tempted to see what they tasted like now. To which, Rosalie responded that he was **not** allowed to eat crayons. Nice. I was giggling over the posts and almost didn't notice that Edward had come online.

**Edward Cullen:** have you ever eaten a crayon

**Bella Swan: **yep. you

**Edward Cullen: **nope. although i convinced ali to eat a purple one when we were six. i told her it was a grape tootsie roll.

**Bella Swan: **rofl. that is so mean

**Edward Cullen:** oh she got me back. she had long hair, got a pair of scissors and cut it off, then went crying to mom and dad telling them i cut off her hair.

**Bella Swan:** LOL! that is awesome! remind me not to mess with her

**Edward Cullen:** oh yeah. shes a force to be reckoned with. did you have fun last night?

**Bella Swan:** yeah. although almost being slapped in the face by emmett's burger wasn't the highlight of my night.

**Edward Cullen:** lol! it was mine! that was hilarious. you shouldve seen your face!

**Bella Swan: **youre so mean!

**Edward Cullen: **im no such thing. im a perfect gentleman

**Bella Swan: **liar

**Edward Cullen: **now, now. dont be mean. so what did you do today

**Bella Swan: **went to port angeles with angela, jessica and unfortunately, lauren

**Edward Cullen: **you dont like lauren?

**Bella Swan: **not particularly. shes one of those girls who's fake and thinks the world revolves around her.

**Edward Cullen: **i hate those kind of girls

Was he fucking kidding me? He was currently dating one of those girls. Was he that blind that he couldn't see Victoria for what she was?

**Edward Cullen: **you still there?

**Bella Swan:** yeah, i was just shocked that you agreed with me.

**Edward Cullen: **why is that

**Bella Swan: **seriously? you have no idea why i would be shocked by that

**Edward Cullen: **hang on a sec, ali wants me real quick

I sat there, still stunned that the man hadn't figured it out. Boys are so stupid. Well, I was going to tell him. I was going to tell him **all **about his Bella-hating girlfriend. I was tired of being threatened by her, and he needs to see her for the devil that she is.

**Edward Cullen: **sorry. ali wants to know if you want to come over to our place tomorrow and watch movies

Huh? Once again I was in a bit of shock. Alice wanted to hang out with me. She did say she wanted to get to know me better, and that we'd end up being great friends, so why not.

**Bella Swan: **sure. id like that. ill need directions to your house

**Edward Cullen: **no biggie. i can come pick you up

Hell yes! I did a fist pump and bounced around in my chair.

**Bella Swan: **thatd be great. thanks. wait. do you need directions to my place

**Edward Cullen:** nope. everyone knows where the chief lives. and it's no prob. so back to what we were talking about. your shocked that I agree with you

**Bella Swan: **well yes. seeing as that youre

I had just begun to type when another message from Edward popped up interrupting my typing.

**Edward Cullen:** crap! i gotta go bella. my dad needs to talk to me. hold that thought and we'll talk about it tomorrow

What? No! I sat there with my mouth open in disbelief as he logged off. Are you freaking kidding me? I finally get up the nerve to tell him and then he logs off! I finally shut my mouth and let out a long sigh. Perhaps it was better to discuss it in person anyway. Just as I was about to log off, a new chat popped up. My hopes rose thinking that maybe Edward was back online, but they were quickly dashed when I noticed it was Emmett.

**Emmett McCarty:** whatup miss falls-a-lot

**Bella Swan:** cute emmett. real cute

**Emmett McCarty:** i know i am. particuarly my ass. have you checked it out? cause you should.

Good Lord, he was something else.

**Bella Swan:** sorry emmett. ive never checked out your ass, nor do i plan too. Besides, your girlfriend would kick **my** ass if I did

**Emmett McCarty:** lol...yeah, thats my rosie. so anyway, i wanted to apologize for embarrassing you last night.

**Bella Swan:** its ok. just don't go throwing anymore of your meat at my face

The minute I sent it, I realized what I'd typed. Oh God. I could hear Emmett laughing from here. I felt my face turning red and was so glad that he couldn't see me.

**Emmett McCarty: **lmao! oh god, im dying. that shit is too funny! i promise, from now on, that i wont throw my meat in your face.

**Bella Swan:** just kill me now.

**Emmett McCarty:** nah, you are one funny girl. on a more serious note, rosie mentioned that afterward there was a little run-in with the queen bitch

**Bella Swan: **yeah. the usual run-in. she warns me away, then threatens to ruin me if i continue to be friends with edward. im sick of it. id actually worked up the nerve to tell edward about her just a little while ago, but he had to log off. hes picking me up tomorrow to take me to his house to hang out with alice, so im gonna tell him then.

I wasn't sure why I was telling Emmett all this, but there was something about him that made me feel I could trust him.

**Emmett McCarty: **good. he needs to know

**Bella Swan:** what if he doesnt believe me?

**Emmett McCarty:** then fuck him. youre a sweet girl and shouldnt have to put up with her jealous shit

**Bella Swan:** thanks emmett.

**Emmett McCarty:** you bet. alright klutzmiester, ive gotta go. my girls calling

**Bella Swan:** night, emmett

I logged off and shut down my computer. I was glad that Emmett agreed with me, and my thoughts turned to Edward and what I was going to tell him and how. I couldn't just blurt out that his girlfriend was a raging bitch, or could I? Maybe if I just get it out there right away, it'll be less painful; you know, the way it is when you take a band aid off. Just rip it off right away. I nodded to myself. That's what I would do. I'd tell him when I got in his car tomorrow and then if he didn't want to hang out with me, then fuck it.

* * *

A/N: I had originally planned for Bella to tell Edward, but then Edward ended up not cooperating with me.


	8. Daydream Believer

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own a Harry Potter tote bag, at least 25 zombie movies, and several New Zealand newspaper articles about Heath Ledger.

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. It means a lot! Thanks to Chylex28 for her awesome awesomeness. 'Nuff said.

* * *

Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings of the bluebird as she sings  
The six o'clock alarm would never ring  
But it rings and I rise wipe the sleep out of my eyes  
The shavin' razor's cold, and it stings

Cheer up, sleepy Jean, oh what can it mean  
To a daydream believer and a homecoming queen?

~Daydream Believer~ Monkees

* * *

Surviving High School

I woke up a nervous wreck. Today was the day. The day that I would tell Edward all about Bitchtoria and her attitude toward me. I flopped onto my back and stared at my ceiling, running through what I was going to say. I'd already decided to just get it out of the way, once I got in his car. If he didn't like what I had to say, then tough. And if he refused to drive me over to his house, I'd just have Alice come get me. Or I'd get in Chuck and follow him home. Okay. Maybe not. That could be seen as a bit stalkerish. Then a thought occurred to me. We never discussed what time I was going over there! I hopped out of bed and stumbled to my computer. One of these days, I was going to save up enough money to get a laptop. That way, I could stay all comfy in bed while playing my Facebook games. While the computer was booting up, I headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

After showering and getting dressed, I logged onto Facebook. I hoped that someone from the Cullen clan was online so I could find out what time Edward was getting me. I noticed that Alice was online, so I sent her a short message asking what time I should expect Edward.

**Alice Cullen:** edwards coming to get you? i was going to come get you. why doesnt he ever tell me anything

**Bella Swan:** oh. i didnt realize that. edward volunteered to come get me last night when we were talking.

**Alice Cullen:** no biggie. but he better not try to interfere with our girl day. ill send him over around 1. is that okay?

I looked at the clock noticing that it was a little after 11. That would give me plenty of time to get myself ready.

**Bella Swan:** sounds good

**Alice Cullen:** yay! cya soon

After replying back to her, I closed the chat. I figured since I was already on Facebook, I'd play some games. Once I was done and logged off, I opened up my closet to try and figure out what to wear. It's not like I'm particularly picky about clothes, but I was going to be hanging out with Alice, the Forks Fashionista. I decided on a pair of nice jeans and a blue shirt with three quarter sleeves. I braided my hair and then headed downstairs to make a sandwich. As I was cutting up the tomato to put on my sandwich, the knife slipped and I took off my thumb. Okay, not really, but it could have happened. Having been through this many times before, I calmly washed the blood off, bandaged it and went back to my sandwich making. Before I knew it, one o'clock had rolled around and I heard a knock on the door.

I quickly ran to the door and opened it. There, standing on my porch, was a sight to behold. Edward flashed me a grin and leaned against the door frame.

"You ready?"

I nodded, grabbed my wallet and keys, and locked the door. Edward gestured towards his Volvo and I headed down the front steps. Of course, I managed to trip on the last step. I threw my hands out in front of me to stop the cement from hitting me in the face, when Edward's hand reached out and caught me. He shook his head at me and asked if I was okay. I gave him a sheepish smile and told him I was fine. He opened the passenger door for me and I climbed inside. Once seated, I took a deep breath to calm myself, and was immediately engulfed in his smell. God, he smelled good. He climbed in and gave me a smile. I returned his smile and looked down, noticing that my hands were starting to shake. I clasped them together and took another deep breath. It was now or never.

"Um, Edward?"

"Yeah."

"Before we get going, can I talk to you about something?"

He looked at me with those piercing green eyes. "Of course."

"It's..." I started, but then had to take another deep breath to steady my nerves. "It's about Victoria."

He turned in his seat to face me, and I noticed a slightly wary expression in his eyes.

"Um...she'samajorbitch. Who'souttoruinmylife,"I blurted out.

"Bella, I didn't understand a word you just said. Can you say it a little slower, please?"

I wanted to bang my head into the dashboard. Was he really going to make me say it again? Gathering all the courage I had, I began again. I couldn't look at him while talking and kept my gaze averted.

"She's a major bitch. At least to me, anyway. It started when I ran into you, which was a complete accident, by the way. It's not my fault that I'm clumsy, but that's not the point. She completely hates me! When she found out that we were lab partners, she cornered me in the hallway, warned me to stay away from you and told me that I'd better find a new lab partner. And then Friday night at the diner, I was in the bathroom talking to Angela, and Victoria was in there. She pretty much told me that this was the last time she was going to tell me to back off and that if I continued to be friends with you, she would ruin me."

I held my breath, waiting for him to say something, anything. But did he? No. The silence around us was deafening. I took a quick glance at him, and found him staring out the window. Oh God. I ruined whatever tentative friendship we had. I could feel tears starting to form, but I'd be damned if I let him see me cry. I fumbled for the door handle in an attempt to get out of his car. Fuck this. Just as I was about to open the door, a hand reached out and covered mine.

"Wait. Please."

I let go of the handle and turned to see him looking at me. He took a deep breath, his gaze never leaving mine.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I had no idea she was being so mean to you. I knew that she was upset about us being partners. That's what she and I were arguing about that day in the parking lot. She wanted me to switch partners and I told her no. I honestly had no idea that she was threatening you. Please believe me."

"I do. I believe you," I told him.

"I'll have a talk with her. I'm not making excuses for her, but she's a bit insecure and tends to get easily jealous. I'll explain that she has nothing to be jealous of. You and I are just friends."

Ouch! While it was true, it still hurt. I think a little piece of my heart shattered. Stupid, I know. It's not like I'm even in his league. I'm lucky that we're even friends. Seriously though? All he's gonna do is talk to her? I'm not sure what I expected, but that wasn't it. It's not like I expected him to pull out his phone, call Victoria, break up with her on the spot and then drive off into the sunset with me.

"Thanks, Edward," I told him. I had a feeling that his talk with Bitchtoria was going to make her hate me even more.

Just then, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and quickly texted whomever it was back.

"Alice. She wanted to know if I had kidnapped you."

I smiled. It would be nice to be kidnapped by Edward. I would be his willing hostage. He put his phone away, threw the mom-mobile in reverse and pulled out of my drive. Turns out the Cullens lived at that very edge of town and I never would have found their house on my own. Their drive was hidden by a cluster of large trees. As the house came into view, I couldn't help but gasp. It had to be at least a hundred years old. Three stories tall and painted a soft shade of white.

"Oh, Edward. It's beautiful!"

He grinned at me. "Wait till you see the inside. Mom's an interior designer, she designed the whole place."

He placed the car in park and we both opened our doors to get out. I almost felt like I was walking into a fairy tale. Edward opened the front door for me and I was instantly whisked onto the back of an elegant pink unicorn by a tiny, bubbly princess. It took me a second to revert back to reality, but I returned the hug that Alice had bestowed upon me.

"Oh, Bella! I'm so glad you're here! We're going to have so much fun!" she exclaimed.

I couldn't help but laugh at her excitement. She quickly shooed Edward away and gave me a quick tour of the house. It was amazing. I couldn't imagine living in such a place. After the tour was done, Alice dragged me to the downstairs den, where a huge flat-screen TV awaited us.

"Okay, Bella. As my guest, you have the honor of choosing the first movie we watch," she said, as she led me over to the huge entertainment center that held more movies than Emmett had muscles.

There were so many to choose from, I didn't even know where to begin. And then it caught my eye. _The Princess Bride_. My favorite movie of all time. I snatched it up quickly and turned to Alice.

"This one okay?"

"Yes! I love _The Princess Bride_!" she said while clapping her hands together while bouncing up and down like Tigger on crack. She was too cute.

We settled down on the couch and began the movie. No matter how many times I watch it, I always tear up a bit. I let out a small sniffle and heard one coming from the other end of the couch as well. Turns out, I'm not the only one who tears up at this movie. After the movie was over, I let out a sigh. If only I could be the Buttercup to Edward's Westley.

"What's wrong, Bella?"

I curled up on the couch and turned to face Alice.

"I told Edward about Victoria earlier."

"How did that go?"

"Eh. Not bad, but not great either. He apologized for her behavior and told me he'd talk to her. Like that's gonna help," I snorted.

"Sometimes that boy is so stupid! I swear, there are days when I don't think we're related. Doesn't he realize that talking to her isn't going to do anything but piss her off more?"

"Guess not."

"Not sure if it'll help or not, but I'll talk to him later."

I gave her a smile. "Thanks, Alice. I appreciate it."

"No prob. So..." Alice began innocently, as she scooted across the couch, practically in my lap now, "how long have you been in love with Edward?"

"What?" I sputtered.

"Oh c'mon, Bella. I can tell."

Well, crap. If she could tell, then who else could? Did the whole world know that I was in love with him? It would certainly explain Victoria's hostility toward me.

"Uh..." I was completely at a loss as to what to say.

"Bella, it's okay. You can tell me. I won't tell anyone, I swear!"

Just like with Emmett, I knew that I could trust Alice.

"Is it obvious?"

"What? No! No, of course not. I'm just really good at reading people. That, and I have a sixth sense about these things."

"A sixth sense?"

"Yep. I just get these feelings about things."

"Feelings, huh?"

"Yes. Feelings. Now don't you start! It's bad enough that Jazzy and Edward tease me about it."

"Okay, okay," I said with my hands up in the air, surrendering. "I won't make fun of you."

"Thank you. Now tell me, how long have you been in love with my brother?"

"Since the minute I saw him. He's so beautiful, Alice! And the past week has only made it worse. Despite being Mr. Popular, he's so nice and sweet to me."

Alice smiled at me. "He's a great guy, Bella. A bit misguided in the girlfriend department though. Believe me, there is nothing I want more than to see him break up with Victoria. But that isn't going to happen until he can see for himself just what kind of a person she is."

She was right. Until Edward could see the **real** Victoria, I guess I was just going to have to deal with him dating her. Alice got up to grab another movie, and asked me if I wanted anything to eat or drink. I told her no, but did mention that I needed to use the bathroom.

"The one down here is broken. You'll have to head upstairs. It'll be down the hallway, on your right."

I made my way up the stairs and found the bathroom easily enough. Once I was done, I opened the door and ran right into Edward.

"Sorry, Edward."

"No harm done. Are you having a good time with Alice? Has she driven you insane yet?"

"Yes, I'm having a good time and no, she hasn't driven me crazy yet."

"Just wait. After a few more hours in her presence, you'll come running, begging me to save you from her."

I giggled at him. "Sure, Edward. Although, I have to say her whole 'sixth sense' thing is a bit weird."

He busted out laughing. "Oh yeah. We're always teasing her about it. She's a weird one. Like I said, if you need rescuing, just give me a holler."

"Will do," I said, grinning up at him.

"Bellaaa!" Alice called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Guess I'd better get down there before I get in trouble."

"Go on. When you're ready to go home, just let me know. I'll drive you back."

"Thanks, Edward."

I headed back to the basement and found Alice sitting on the couch waiting for me. I sat back down and saw that she had put in _The Emperor's New Groove_. I also loved this movie! I was sitting there, trying to watch it, but I could feel her staring at me. Finally I couldn't take it anymore.

"What?"

"You were up there for quite some time."

"Uh huh."

"So...what were you doing?"

"Using the bathroom."

"Bella!" she whined.

I giggled at her exasperation. "Fine, fine. I came out of the bathroom and ran into Edward. We talked for a bit. Are you always this nosy?"

"I'm not nosy. I just like to stay informed."

"Sure, Alice."

"Well, I'm glad that Edward has you as a friend. He doesn't have many **real** friends. Mainly myself, Jasper, and Emmett."

"What about Rosalie?"

Alice snorted at that. "Puh-lease. Those two are always picking a fight with each other. He thinks she's a self-absorbed Barbie doll and she thinks he's an uptight pretty boy."

"Well, he is pretty."

"Of course he is. He's my twin."

We giggled some more and then sat back to enjoy the movie. Halfway through the movie, Edward came down and joined us on the couch. Alice scooted all the way to the opposite end so that Edward had to sit between us. Not that I was complaining. I'd take what I could get. I quickly learned that Edward was an extremely annoying person to watch movies with. He sat there, repeating all the lines, loud enough for me to hear them.

"You know, Edward. Just because you know all the words to the movie, doesn't mean I want to hear them," I told him.

Alice and I both busted out laughing at the look on his face. He scowled at both of us, crossed his arms over his chest and let out a huff. We went back to watching the movie, and not more than ten minutes later, I caught him doing it again. I grabbed the pillow that I was leaning on, whacked him with it, and then went back to watching the movie.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked me.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I told him.

"You just **hit **me with a pillow!"

"I did no such thing."

"You totally did."

"Really, Edward. I think you're imagining things."

I was having a hard time not busting out into giggles, but I was having a blast picking on him. He turned to look at Alice, who was busy attempting to watch the movie.

"Help me out here, Alice?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Edward."

He just shook his head and muttered something about sibling betrayers. He then turned back to me and pointed at me.

"Better watch your back, Swan," he warned me.

"Oooo...I'm so scared."

"You should be."

As the credits rolled, we decided to watch one more movie, and then I'd head home. Edward decided that since we were being mean to him, that meant he got to select the movie we watched. I had a feeling I wasn't going to enjoy his pick. He put the movie in and sat back down between us.

"Ugh! Really, Edward? A zombie movie?"

"Don't tell me they scare you, Bella?"

"No, they don't scare me. They're stupid and all the same."

He shot me an incredulous look. "What are you talking about? They're not stupid or all the same."

"Of course they are," I said while rolling my eyes. "There's usually some post-apocalyptic shit going down, or a virus has infected the human race and there's a handful of people who have to survive. These people are on the run, living in malls, and all apparently know how to shoot and that they must aim for the head in order to kill the zombies. These movies are so stupid!"

"Whatever. We're watching this regardless of your opinion," was his brilliant comeback.

During our exchange, Alice had excused herself to take a phone call and left us to our own devices. We settled in to watch the stupid movie, and again, Edward started repeating lines in a whisper. I wasn't sure if he was doing it to annoy me this time, or if he just couldn't help himself. Either way it was ending here and now. I, once again, grabbed the pillow and this time I smacked him in the face with it.

"What the hell, Bella?" he roared at me.

I busted out laughing. He was too cute when he was annoyed. He made to grab the pillow from me, but I wasn't about to let go of it. It was the only weapon I handy and I might need it. Of course, I was laughing so hard, that I could hardly hold on to it.

"I warned you little girl. Now you're gonna get it," he growled.

Before I knew what was happening, he dug his fingers into my sides and started tickling me. I shrieked partially in outrage, partially in laughter, and did my best to attack him with the pillow. It wasn't going so well for me.

"Stop!" I yelled at him, all the while giggling.

He ignored my demand and moved to tickle my other side. I was laughing so hard and squirming to get away, that I managed to knock both of us to the floor. I lay on my back, with Edward hovering above me. Oh my. His eyes were even more beautiful up close. His gaze fell to my lips and then back up to my eyes. His head moved closer to mine, and my breath caught in my throat. Oh my God! He's going to kiss me! When his lips were a hairbreadth from mine, a throat clearing caught our attention. We sprang apart as quickly as possible and I looked up to see Alice smirking at us from across the room.

"Having fun guys?" she asked.

I was sure my face was bright red, and Edward's seem to have a tint of pink on it. We both mumbled yes and refused to meet each other's gaze. Can we say awk-ward? From somewhere upstairs, a clock chimed, letting us know that it was six. I picked imaginary lint off of my shirt and told Edward that it was probably time for me to head home. He headed upstairs first, and I made to follow, when Alice reached out and touched my arm.

"So...care to explain what I just saw?"

"Nope."

"Please?" she begged with a pout.

"Nothing happened. We were just goofing around, that's all."

"Uh huh. Care to explain why you were on the floor?"

"He was tickling me and we fell off the couch. I swear. Nothing happened."

She reached over and rubbed my arm. "Relax, Bella. It's fine. I know that neither of you would do anything while he's still dating Victoria."

I paled at the mention of her name. If she **ever** found out about this, I was as good as dead.

"You can't tell her about this! Promise me!"

"You know I'd never say anything to her, right?"

I nodded.

"Thanks, Alice."

She gave me a hug, and then walked with me upstairs. She told me she had a good time and that we'd catch up at school tomorrow. I waved goodbye to her and slowly made my way to Edwards' car. Despite what had almost happened, or not happened, or whatever, he was still a gentleman and opened my door for me. I slid inside and closed my eyes for a minute.

"You okay?" Edward asked me after starting the car.

"Yeah."

"Um...about what happened back there..."

"Forget it. It's no big deal," I said. Oh, I'm such a liar. It was a very big deal. To me, anyways.

He dragged a hand through his hair and let out a sigh. "I really like you Bella, and I don't want things to be awkward between us."

I smiled at him. "I like you too, and it'll be fine."

"Friends?" he asked.

"Friends. Thanks for coming to get me and for driving me home."

"No prob. I couldn't very well pick you up and then make you walk home now, could I?"

"Well...I don't know. You did try to make me watch a zombie movie."

He shook his head at me. We made small talk for a few more minutes, and then he pulled up at my house.

"See ya tomorrow, Bella."

"Bye, Edward. Thanks again."

I let out a sigh as I watched him drive off. My thoughts were all jumbled up and I couldn't even begin to think straight. I unlocked the front door and headed inside. Charlie wasn't home yet, and I was thankful for that. I made my way to my room and threw myself down on my bed. I couldn't get over the fact that Edward had almost kissed me. **He** almost kissed **me**! I let out a girly squeal. I was so over the moon for this guy, it was ridiculous. But I knew that nothing like that could ever happen again. Not until he was single. I prayed that the boy would be able to open up his eyes, and see Victoria for what she really was. I sat up and decided to attempt to do some homework, to keep my mind off of Edward and the almost kiss. A half hour later, I gave up. My mind kept going back to him. I closed my eyes and let my mind take over.

_We were laying on the floor, after his tickling had caused us to end up there. The look in his eyes set my heart racing. His gaze left mine and moved down to my lips. My breath was shaky, and my heart flew into overtime as he bent his head closer. His lips were so close. I wished he would hurry up and just kiss me. And then he did. His lips were so soft, yet firm, and felt perfect against mine. I let out a sigh and plunged my hands into his hair, holding him closer. Best. Kiss. EVER. The boy knew what he was doing. Very gently, he sucked my bottom lip as he pulled away from the kiss._

"_God, I'm crazy about you Bella." he said in a husky voice._

"_I'm crazy about you too, Edward."_

_He bent his head down again, and just as he brought his lips to mine again..._

"Bella!"

"Upstairs, Dad!"

I let out a sigh. Stupid daydream disturbing dad! I made my way downstairs, and filled Charlie in about my day, (well somethings were obviously left out) while making dinner. After we ate, we went our separate ways. Me, back upstairs, and Charlie to the living room. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my homework, I logged into my Facebook and updated my status. **Bella Swan** _feels like doing some homework, so she's sitting down until the feeling passes. She also had a great day today! _I killed the next few hours, yes hours, playing pointless games and then gave Angela a call.

"Hey, Bella," Angela answered.

"Hey. So something interesting happened to me today."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Alice invited me over to their place to watch movies, and Edward was there."

"And?"

"And...healmostkissedme," I gushed.

"He what?" she screeched.

I held my phone away from my ear to keep myself from going deaf.

"He. Almost. Kissed. Me."

"Do tell!"

"We were watching this stupid zombie movie and Alice had gone upstairs to talk on the phone. Anyway, Edward was annoying me by repeating the lines of the movie, so I hit him with a pillow, which led to him tickling me. Then we fell off the couch and he was hovering over me and he almost kissed me, when Alice interrupted."

"No way!"

"Way. As much as I would have enjoyed that kiss, I would've felt guilty, and so would Edward. I mean he's still dating She Who Shall Not Be Named."

"Too true. Oh hey, did you ever tell him about her?"

"Yeah. Earlier today when he came to pick me up. He apologized and said he'd talk to her. Alice and I agree, that will probably only make things worse. She also pointed out that until he can see her for the bitch that she is, he'll stay with her."

"Aw, Bella. Well, at least you told him and now he knows."

"True. Alright, I'm gonna head to bed. See ya tomorrow."

"Night Bella."

I hung up the phone and got ready for bed. As I laid there waiting for sleep to claim me, all I could think about was Edward and his kiss, the kiss that almost belonged to me. So close, yet so far away. I hoped that tomorrow wouldn't be awkward and really, really hoped that he would break up with Victoria and soon. She was such a major bitch, it couldn't take too long for him to see her for what she really was, right? Then again, they'd been together for almost two years now. I guess I would have to be patient and give it time, even though the thought of him with **her** killed me. But while I was waiting for him to come to his senses, I'd be savoring every moment we had together. Particularly, our almost kiss.


	9. Everybody Hurts

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own the Sims 3, a broken stereo system, and lots and lots of shoes.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this story. And of course, Chylex28 for letting me know when my writing is crap and helping me better it.

* * *

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,  
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on  
Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes

Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it's time to sing along  
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)  
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)  
When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on

~Everybody Hurts~REM

* * *

Surviving High School

I awoke Monday morning, with a smile on my face. I was still giddy over the almost kiss with Edward and couldn't contain the joy I felt when I thought about him. I went about my usual morning routine, and once I was dressed, I headed downstairs for a quick breakfast. After gulping down some cereal and milk, I headed out the door and started up Chuck. For the first time in a long time, I was actually looking forward to going to school. And, of course, I was excited to see Edward. Last night we had established the fact that we were, indeed, friends and that we liked each other and I was thrilled. I arrived in the school parking lot, just as Edward and Alice pulled up. I parked next to the mom-mobile, grabbed my bag, and got out.

"Good morning!" Alice sang.

Normally, I hated morning people, but today even Alice's overly cheerful attitude didn't bother me.

"Good morning, Alice."

Edward stepped over to me and tugged playfully on my ponytail.

"What? I don't get a 'good morning'?" he asked.

I turned to him and felt my heart start to race. He was so beautiful. And that smile. Oh, that smile just made me melt.

"Good morning, Edward."

"Good morning to you too, Bella."

After exchanging our pleasantries, we started our walk into the building and that's when the drama started. It had being go so well. I'd managed to go a few days without any drama, so I should have expected it. Jasper and Emmett had caught up to us, as well as Ben and Angela. The seven of us were talking about our weekend, when we heard the shrill voice of Victoria screeching out Edward's name.

"Ah, fuck," I mumbled under my breath. Alice must have heard me, cause she gave me a sympathetic look as Victoria stalked her way over to us.

"Eddie! I missed you yesterday," she whined as she leaned in to plant a kiss on him. I turned my head to avoid seeing the kiss. The last thing I wanted to see was Edward and Victoria kissing. Angela tapped me the arm to let me know it was okay to look. That was when Victoria noticed me. Her eyes narrowed and she looked less than pleased to see me. I quickly looked away, not wanting to meet her eyes, afraid that she would be able to see that I had almost kissed her boyfriend. As I looked away, I found myself face to face with Emmett. He leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"Just ignore whatever bullshit comes flying out of her mouth. That's what I do. 'kay?"

I gave him a small smile and nodded my head. I mentally prepared myself for her verbal attack and turned back to face her. Before she could open her mouth to say anything, Edward leaned down and said something in her ear. Whatever he said, didn't meet Victoria's approval because she yanked her arm away from him.

"Oh, we'll definitely be talking later, Eddie" she snarled at him, turning on her heel and stomping through the doors. She was pissed! Edward let out a sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. I itched to reach out and run my fingers through his hair as well, but managed to keep myself from doing so.

"What was that all about?" Emmett asked Edward, as we walked in the doors and down the hallway.

"Hmmm...Oh. I told her I needed to talk to her about something and now she's all pissed off," he said.

"Good luck with that bro," Emmett told him, while clapping him on the back and then took off to meet up with Rose.

"Well..I see you in Biology, Bella."

"You bet, Edward. See you later."

My morning passed swiftly, except for gym class, but that was nothing new. After a rather less than rousing game of volleyball, Mike and I made our way to lunch.

"So, Jess told me that you hung out with the Cullens the other night after the game."

"Yep."

"Huh. You don't seem the type."

"What are you talking about, Mike?"

"Nothing. It's just.., you just don't seem the type of person to get sucked into the glamor of the in-crowd."

"Good lord, Mike. You make it sound like I've gone to the Dark Side. I haven't been sucked into the glamor of the in-crowd, as you put it. I just happen to like some of the in-crowd folks."

"Yeah, I just bet you do," I heard him mutter.

"What is your problem?" I asked him angrily.

"I don't have a problem. But if you continue to hang all over Edward, you're gonna have a big problem with Victoria," and with that parting shot, he took off to the cafeteria leaving me there, staring after him.

What a jerk! For the life of me, I couldn't remember why I was friends with him. Seriously? Who the fuck did he think he was, getting all upset because I'm friends with the Cullens? As I let out a huff, a big meaty arm threw itself around my shoulder.

"You okay, Stumblelina?"

I looked up at Emmett and gave a small nod. "Yeah. I'll be alright. Mike just pisses me off sometimes."

Emmett gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and said, "You know why he's acting like that, don't you?"

"Cause he's a jerk."

He gave me a grin. "Well, he is that, but he's acting that way cause he's got the hots for you."

I just stared at him, dumbfounded. He let out a loud booming laugh at my expression.

"It's so true, Trippy. That boy has been sniffing after you for years."

I couldn't help but shudder at the thought of me and Mike as a couple. It was so wrong, for so many reasons. As we started walking to the cafeteria, Rosalie came over and gave me a nod. I responded by giving her a small smile and made to remove myself from under Emmett's arm. The last thing I needed was another enemy, and Rosalie was not a girl to be trifled with. Emmett noticed me trying to get away, so he tightened his grip on my shoulder and threw his other arm around Rosalie.

"Why are you trying to get away from me? Don't you like me anymore?" he asked while pouting.

"I like you just fine," I replied while struggling, to no avail, to get away.

Rosalie looked around Emmett at me. "Struggling just makes it worse. Trust me. I know. It's easier to just give in."

"Yeah, well I don't particularly want you killing me."

"Why would I kill you?"

"Um...cause Emmett has his arm around me?" I asked.

Emmett started chuckling and flashed me a grin, "Rosalie's no Victoria. She knows that I'm a one-woman-man. Right, Rosie?"

She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "It's fine, Bella. I know you and Emmett are nothing more than friends. Once the big oaf here has decided that he's your friend, you're stuck with him for life."

"I suppose I could do worse."

"So not cool. I am awesome! You should be ecstatic that I'm your friend!" he exclaimed.

And he was right. I loved having Emmett as a friend. Lunch passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time for Biology. We made our way to the classroom, and I noticed that my table was empty. That was unusual. Normally, Edward was at our table before I was. I looked at Angela and she gave me a shrug. I sat down on my stool, and got my binder and notebook out. I looked at the clock as Mr. Banner came in, and saw that class would start in two minutes. Where was he? He never missed class and I was really starting to worry. The bell rang and Mr. Banner shut the door. He told us to get our equipment and that we'd proceed where we had left off last week. Shit! I was gonna have to do this dissection thing by myself. Mr. Banner was handing out the pig fetuses that we had worked on. I had just laid out the instruments I would be using, when the door opened and in walked Edward. Oh thank God! I wouldn't have to do this alone. Edward walked over to Mr. Banner and had a quiet conversation with him, then headed over to our table. He looked really upset and wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Everything okay? I was starting to worry when class started and you weren't here."

He sat down on his stool and put both elbows on the table. His hands went to his hair where he started tugging at the strands.

"Things aren't really okay at the moment," he answered in a slightly cold voice.

I waited for him to say more, but he didn't. Instead he reached in his bag and started pulling out his notebook and pencils.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

And that was the end of that conversation. I tried not to be hurt by the fact that he was shutting me out, but I was. We spent the next 50 minutes in awkward silence, until I couldn't take it anymore. We were packing up our bags and I reached out and touched his arm.

"Edward?"

He turned to look at me, meeting my eyes briefly before flickering away.

"I know you said you don't want to talk about it, but if you change your mind, I'm here to listen."

"Sure," was his reply and he took off.

I was so confused by this sudden about face that Edward had done. Was this about the almost kiss yesterday? Maybe he had talked to Victoria and things hadn't gone as planned. I didn't know, but I did know that I was left standing there confused as hell.

"Bella?"

I turned around and saw Angela standing next to me.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm...confused. He's really upset about something and didn't want to talk about it. Hell, we barely even talked at all."

"I'm sorry. Maybe he's having a bad day."

I nodded and off to study hall we went. I usually spend study hall getting a head start on my homework, but today all I could think about was Edward and what could possibly be wrong. Fifty minutes of thinking up worse case scenarios and letting my imagination get the best of me. I was never so thankful for study hall to be over and for Calculus to arrive. I left the classroom and decided to make a quick stop at the girl's bathroom. I was in the stall, when I heard voices near the sinks.

"So what did Edward want to talk about, Victoria?"

"He wanted to talk to me about Bella Swan. He told me, that she told him, that I was being mean to her. She's such a fucking bitch! Trying to get Edward to turn on me!" she ranted.

"O.M.G. What did you say?"

"I told him that she was a liar. That, except for the one time when she ran into him, I was always nice to her. I told him that I wanted to be her friend, but she laughed in my face and verbally attacked me. I warned her that I would ruin her life and now I will. She won't know what hit her when I'm done with her. I'll make it so Edward never wants to speak to her again."

And that little speech explained everything right there. Now I understood why Edward was so standoffish during Biology today. I'd like to think that Edward thought higher of me than that, but he'd known Victoria for far longer, so it makes sense that he'd trust her word. There was no way I could go to class now. I was too upset, so I waited until I heard Bitchtoria and her cronies leave, then I snuck out of the bathroom and headed to the parking lot.

Once I arrived home, I shut myself in my room. I had a lot to think about. At some point, I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. It was Charlie informing me that he was going to be working late at the station and that he'd see me sometime tomorrow. After hanging up, I sat there on my bed feeling sorry for myself. Talk about throwing oneself a pity party. I wanted to talk to someone about what I was feeling, but wasn't sure who to call. And then it occurred to me. Alice. She would know what was going on a little bit more than I did.

"Hey, Bella."

"Hey, Alice. Hope you don't mind me calling, but I needed to talk to someone and you're it."

"No prob. So what's up?"

"Well..., Edward talked to Victoria today and things are definitely worse."

"Oh no! I knew that his talking to her was a bad idea."

"Yeah. Totally was. He came into Biology late and refused to look me in the eye or even talk to me. Which left me confused and upset. Turns out, Victoria told him that I'm a liar and I guess he believes her. Of course he didn't tell me any of this since he won't talk to me. I had to overhear **her **telling some girls in the bathroom. She told them she'd make sure Edward never spoke to me again."

"Oh, she's such a bitch! And he believed her? I'll be having some words with him, I guarantee that," she vowed.

"Alice, it's fine. Okay, it's not fine, but why shouldn't he believe her? They've been dating for two years."

"Hmmph. That's no excuse for him to be rude to you. If he truly believes her bullshit, then he's a lot more stupid than I thought!" she ranted.

"I just...it's stupid. I thought for sure, that we were friends and that he liked me, but all Victoria has to do is say one bad thing about me and he believes her. I would like to talk to him and clear things up, but I'm afraid I'll make things even worse."

"Oh, Bella. Let me talk to him first and found out what's going on in that head of his and then I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Alice."

"You bet."

I hung up the phone and lay back on my bed. I hoped that the next day would prove to be better than today. I knew for a fact that I wouldn't be able to handle spending the rest of the school year with him not talking to me. I'm not sure how long I laid there on my bed, but after a while I realized that this pity party had to stop. I logged onto Facebook, when a thought occurred to me. Maybe Edward had unfriended me. I quickly scanned my friends list and was relieved to see that Edward was still on the list. Part of me hoped that he had his chat on, so I could have a little chat with him, but he didn't. I logged off and headed to bed, where I was plagued by an unpleasant dream.

_I pulled into the parking lot at school and got out of Chuck. I noticed, as I was walking toward the school, that people were stopping and staring at me. Whispering to each other and some were even pointing at me. What in the world was going on? I saw Ben and Angela up ahead and ran over to them._

"_Hey guys."_

_I got no response. As a matter of fact, they kept walking, ignoring me completely. Okay, now I was really confused. I couldn't recall doing anything to upset them, but obviously, I had. I saw Emmett, Alice, and their gang standing together and they too, choose to ignore my presence. And then I saw her. Victoria. She was standing on the steps of the school wearing a robe and a crown. Oh good God, she really did think she was a queen didn't she?_

"_Attention, attention!" she called out to the masses. _

_Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards her. _

"_As your queen, I would like to remind you that no one, and I mean **no one, **is to talk to Isabella Swan. She is an undesirable and we don't associate with that kind."_

"_Yes, Queen Victoria," the crowd agreed in unison._

_UN-fucking-believable. So because **she** didn't like me, I was now a social outcast. A pariah. Who fucking died and made her queen? I'd show her! I marched toward her and before I could get too close, a group of guards surrounded me. _

"_Don't even think about it," a voice to my right said. _

_The voice sounded awfully familiar, and I found myself face to face with Charlie. Good lord, my own father was against me now? Before I knew what was happening, I was thrown in a cell where I was to await my punishment. I'm not sure how much time passed, but eventually Charlie came to get me. I was led into the gymnasium, where the stands were filled with spectators. Charlie pushed me into the center of the gym and I was instantly surrounded by people holding dodge-balls. Oh, this was gonna suck. Instantly, I curled myself into a ball, doing my best to make myself as small a target as possible and waited for the balls to start pelting me._

And that's when I woke up. I lay on my back and pushed my sweaty hair out of my eyes. What a horrid dream! At least, I hoped it was a dream, and that when I arrived at school today, Victoria wouldn't be wearing a robe and crown. I looked at the clock and saw that my alarm would be going off in a few minutes anyway, so I got up and ready for the day. My stomach was all tied up in knots. I was unsure what the day would bring. I kinda wanted to stay home, but knew that I'd have to face Edward and probably Victoria at some point, so I might as well get it over with.

I somehow managed to get to school late and had to park in the furthest spot away possible. Ugh! Not a good way to start off the day. I hurried inside and barely made it to homeroom before the bell rang.

"Cutting it close there, Bella. You okay?" Angela whispered in my ear.

I nodded my head and gave her a small smile. All too soon, English arrived and we were told to spend the hour working on our rough drafts for our stories. With everything that had happened last week, I'd totally forgotten that we were supposed to be working on the assignment, so I had nothing done. I opened my notebook and attempted to write something about the old man from Nantucket and his money storing ways. Forty minutes later, I had a couple of paragraphs of crap. Oh well.

I spent Social Studies playing hangman with Emmett instead of paying attention to our teacher, and spent Gym avoiding Mike, as well as the volleyball. I didn't feel up to having lunch with our usual crowd, so I grabbed some food, stuck it in my bag, and went to eat lunch by myself at a picnic table outside. Okay, so maybe not the best of ideas. It was freezing out here, but it was better than having to listen to Mike and Lauren bitching. There were a few people wandering around outside. As I sat there reading a book and eating, I thought I heard someone mention my name. I looked around and noticed a group of students standing near one of the buildings, smoking.

"So did you hear about that Bella girl?" I heard this girl ask her friends.

Holy shit! My nightmare was coming true! I strained my ears to hear what else they were saying, but the wind picked up and I couldn't hear anything else. My imagination went into overdrive, trying to figure out why these people were talking about me and I was unable to focus on my book any longer. The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch and I trudged my way to Biology. I wasn't sure what to expect from Edward today, and that made me nervous.

I walked into class and saw him sitting at our table texting. Well, that was a relief of sorts. I made my way over and dropped my bag on the table.

"Hey, Edward."

"Hey," and he went back to texting.

I saw Angela look over at us and frown in Edward's direction. I shrugged at her and got my stuff out, ready for class to start. Angela must have said something to Alice, because Alice looked over and gave Edward a nasty look. He returned her look and then went back to ignoring me. The first thirty minutes passed in that stifling silence of yesterday and I finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Want to tell me what's wrong?" I asked him while we worked.

"Nope."

"Well then, do you want to tell me why you're not speaking to me?"

"You lied to me."

"What are you talking about? I've never lied to you. Not once, Edward!" I exclaimed to him in a hushed voice.

"Look Bella, there's not point in trying to save face. Victoria told me all about you."

I just sat there in stunned disbelief. He really did buy all her bullshit.

"So that's it, huh? Victoria, who's been nothing but a bitch to me, tells you I'm a liar and you automatically believe her?" I asked incredulously.

Never taking his eyes off of his worksheet he replied, "Why shouldn't I believe her?"

"Maybe because she's lying to you."

"Right," he scoffed.

And with that, our tentative friendship ended. As much as it pained me, as much as I wanted to cry, I couldn't be friends with someone who believed the worst about me. I couldn't be friends with someone, who believed me to be a liar and wouldn't give me a chance to explain. I got up from my table and approached Mr. Banner, sitting at his desk.

"Excuse me, Mr. Banner?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"Is there anyway I can switch partners?"

"I'm sorry, Bella, but you and Edward will just have to work out whatever differences you have. I can't go changing partners in the middle of the lab."

I nodded and made my way back to my seat.

I glared at Edward's head and told him, "Well, unfortunately we're stuck working together til this lab is over."

"Whatever."

Stupid jerk. I was so fricking pissed off, that I wanted to take my textbook and smack him upside the head with it. As we sat in silence for the remainder of the class, I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I would be damned if I cried in front of him. I blinked them back and as soon as the bell rang, I ran out and made my way to the closest bathroom. I heard Angela and Alice calling my name, but I didn't stop until I was safely locked in a stall. And then the tears began to fall.

"Bella?" I heard Alice call out softly.

"Wha..what?" I sniffled out.

"Unlock the door, please."

I unlocked the stall and found myself wrapped up in a fierce hug. She rocked side to side, while I sobbed into her shoulder, her hands running gently over my back.

"He hates me!" I wailed.

"Shh..shh. He doesn't hate you, he's just being a stupid ass. I love my brother, but sometimes he's not that bright. I tried to talk to him last night, but he ignored me. Tonight, however, there will be no ignoring me. How dare he make one of my friends cry!"

Angela was standing quietly near us and reached out and stroked my hair.

"Alice is right, Bella. I don't think Edward hates you. I think that he's confused. He likes you. I think the almost kiss was proof of that. But I also think he feels guilty about that almost kiss and combine that with whatever Bitchtoria told him and he's an emotional wreck. NOT that that is an excuse to hurt you!"

My sobs quieted and I pulled away, wiping off my tears with my shirt sleeve.

"Well, I don't care how confused he is! He's an ass and I'll be damned if I'm gonna be friends with an ass!"

"Um, Bella? You do realize you're friends with Mike, right?" Angela asked.

"Don't forget Emmett," Alice added.

I threw my hands up in the air. "Fine! Fine! I'm friends with a bunch of asses! Something is obviously wrong with me."

"Bella, before you completely give up on Edward, give him one more chance. Please!" begged Alice.

As much as I wanted to say hell no, I also knew, deep down, that I couldn't just write him off. That's not who I was. I let out a small sigh and agreed to give him one more chance. Alice assured me that she would talk to him and point out the errors of his ways. I had a feeling she would too. While I was dabbing my face with the wet paper towel that Angela had gotten me, the bathroom door opened and Rosalie stepped in. She shut the door behind her, leaned against it, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, Victoria is out for blood," she said.

"What's she done?" Alice asked.

"She's doing everything in her power to discredit Bella and make everyone believe that Bella is a liar and violent."

"What?" we all exclaimed.

"Oh yeah. She was telling me earlier, that she told Edward that you were a liar and wanted to break them up because you're jealous of Victoria. She told Edward that you threatened to hurt her if she told anyone. Although, how or why anyone would believe that bullshit is beyond me."

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. The thought of me beating up Victoria was laughable. She would flatten me like a bug in a fight.

"Well, that's just great. Who knew that I was such a violent liar?" I spat.

"Calm down, Bella. We'll fix this," Rosalie said.

"Does it even matter? Even if I wanted to get back at her or set the record straight, I'm no match for Victoria."

"Like I said, we'll fix this."

"Why are you helping me, Rosalie? You don't even like me." I asked her.

She gave me a smirk and replied, "Well, Emmett likes you and he's a good judge of character. Besides, I'm getting tired of Victoria and her reign over this school. I think it's high time there was a new queen of Forks High and I intend on it being me. The only way to do that is to get rid of her. So my reasons for helping you are primarily selfish."

Huh. I was okay with that. If I was take down the wicked bitch, then I'd need all the help I could get.

"So, what did you have in mind?" I asked.

A smile came across Rosalie's face and I have to admit, I was a bit frightened.

"You just leave it to me, Bella. I'll fill you in once I've set things in motion."

I gulped. That sounded extremely ominous.

"Nothing illegal, right?"

"Of course not," and with those final words, Rosalie opened the door and left.

I looked at Angela and Alice and they looked right back at me.

"So.." I began.

"So..."Angela said.

"So...Rose is gonna kick Victoria's ass and I, for one, can't wait to see what she does," Alice chimed in.

I laughed nervously at that, almost afraid to find out what Rosalie had in mind. The bell rang and we all jumped, realizing that we were late for class. We each grabbed our bags and started toward our perspective classes.

"Oh, Bella!" Alice called down the hall.

I turned around to look out her.

"Don't worry about Edward. Everything's gonna be just fine."

I certainly hoped so, although whether or not, I'd be able to trust him again was a whole other matter.

* * *

A/N: Leave me some love


	10. Welcome To My Life

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I have sadly run out of cool things that I do own, but my favorite book of all time is _The Outsiders_ by S.E. Hinton. If you've never read this book, then I encourage you to.

A/N: Oh my dear readers, Edward seems to have pissed quite a few of you off. It's okay. I understand. He pissed me off too. I certainly hadn't expected him to take that attitude about things, but he did. Just remember that I believe in Happily Ever After and that we will get there. Eventually. So if there's anything you'd like to say to Edward, please feel free to leave a review and tell him what you think of him and his attitude. Miss Chylex28, you rock. Although, you already know that. And I apologize for this update being late. I attempted to get it posted on Sunday, but FF was being a bitch and not letting me add the new chapter. Grrr!

* * *

Do you ever feel like breaking down?  
Do you ever feel out of place?  
Like somehow you just don't belong  
And no one understands you  
Do you ever wanna run away?  
Do you lock yourself in your room?  
With the radio on turned up so loud  
That no one hears you screaming

No you don't know what it's like  
When nothing feels all right  
You don't know what it's like  
To be like me

~Welcome to my life~ Simple Plan

* * *

Surviving High School

The rest of the week passed in a daze. My encounters with Edward were awkward, and strained, at best. Where I'd once relished the moment till I could see him, I cringed at just the of dealing with his attitude. I tried to stay positive. I truly did, but by the time Friday rolled around, I was ready to throw the towel in. I was drained from the silent treatment and hateful glares from Edward. I was tired of the stares in the hallways, and the whispered conversations about me, behind my back. Alice hadn't had much luck getting Edward to open up to her and I felt horrible that this whole situation was affecting her relationship with him. As soon as the bell rang, signaling that school was over, I was out the door in a flash. I didn't even stop at my locker. Just grabbed my bag and headed toward Chuck as quickly as I could. Halfway to my safety beacon, my left arm was grabbed, I was spun around and found myself face to face with Lauren.

"It's true, isn't it?" she asked.

"What are you talking about, Lauren?" I snapped as I shook her hand off my arm.

"What everyone's saying. That you attacked Victoria after she caught you trying to fuck Edward."

My mouth dropped open. What. The. Fuck.

"What? I never tried to fuck Edward and I've certainly never attacked Victoria." I managed to get out through clenched teeth.

"Sure, Bella. Whatever you say. I'm just glad the whole school knows what you really are. A lying whore," and with those words she spun on her heel and headed toward Tyler and Mike. I noticed Tyler and Mike glancing my way, and Mike had a definite sneer on his face. Figured he'd believe the bullshit. What an ass. Shaking my head, I continued my retreat and sought refuge inside of Chuck.

I drove home, fighting the tears that were welling up. There was no way I was going to shed anymore tears over this fucked up situation. Victoria could say what she wanted about me, but I knew the truth, as did my real friends. Yeah, that sounded good. Now if only I could get myself to believe it. I pulled into the drive, only to come to the realization that the last thing I wanted to do was sit at home and have to explain to Charlie why I was in such a funk. I backed Chuck out the driveway and headed toward La Push. There were some beautiful cliffs overlooking the ocean and I thought, perhaps, they would be a good place to clear my mind and just breath.

I approached the cliffs and found a spot to park Chuck. I got out, grabbed an old blanket I kept in the back, and my beat up copy of Jane Eyre. There was a huge rock near the ledge, but not so close that I'd fall off, and I made way toward it. I spread my blanket out on the rock, opened my book and lost myself in the world of nineteenth century England. I was so wrapped up in the story that I failed to hear the sounds of approaching people.

"Is that? It is. Hey, Bella!" a male voice shouted, startling me.

I looked up and noticed a Native American guy heading my way. Jacob Black. The son of Charlie's best friend, Billy. Jacob was a few years younger than me, and while we hadn't hung out recently, we had spent much of our youth playing together on the reservation or suffering through fishing trips that our fathers made us go on.

"Hey, Jacob! How are you?" I asked him as he approached and gave me a quick hug.

"Doing good. What brings you up here?"

I shrugged, "Just needed some fresh air."

He nodded. "Something bothering you?"

"School drama. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Sure, sure. Me and the guys," he pointed to the group of overgrown kids behind him, "are gonna go cliff diving. Want to join?"

Was he serious? Who the hell would voluntarily dive off of a cliff?

"Uh, no, and I don't think you should either. Have you seen how high up we are? It's not safe."

"Bella, it's fine. We've done it tons and no one's gotten hurt."

"Hmmph. Well, I still say it's dangerous," I told him, while crossing my arms over my chest.

"Of course it's dangerous. That's part of the thrill," he replied, rolling his eyes.

I, personally, didn't see what was so appealing about jumping off a cliff. Especially into the freezing Pacific Ocean. To each their own, I guess. A few minutes later, four guys joined Jacob at the ledge overlooking the ocean. Shirts, shoes, socks, and even pants start flying off as the boys began to strip for their journey into the freezing cold. I sat there, mouth agape, as I watched the show before me. Not that kind of show! Although, a couple of the older boys were pretty decent looking.

Jacob turned to look at me and asked me once again if I would join them. I opened my mouth to tell him no, but somehow the word yes popped out. A huge grin broke over Jacob's face and he came over and grabbed my hand, dragging me closer to, what would surely be, my death.

"You going in clothed?"

"Well, I'm certainly not stripping for you."

He snorted at me and bent down to take off my shoes and socks. "No one wants soggy shoes."

Suddenly, I wasn't so sure about this. Before I could tell Jacob that I'd changed my mind, he grabbed my hand and we took a running jump off the cliff. I screamed as I fell through the air; partially in fear, partially in exhilaration. Before I knew it, Jacob had let go of my hand, and we hit the water with a resounding splash. The water was far colder than I thought it would be, and I found myself struggling to find the surface. The waves were tossing me back and forth, holding me under, and all I could see was the blackness of the ocean. I could feel my lungs screaming for air, as I did my best to keep my breath in. Panic began to set in. I tried to find the way up, but my arms and legs were quickly going numb. I really, really didn't want to die, and was cursing not only myself, but also Jacob for allowing me to be so stupid. I was ready to give up, my arms and legs were heavy. I just didn't have the energy to continue the fight, when a pair of hands grabbed me. I found myself, on my back, in the sand, with a pair of hands attempting to push the water from my lungs.

"Breath, Bella!" ordered Jacob's voice.

I did my best to comply, but couldn't. I could hear people discussing me. Voices full of worry, wondering if I was alive, if I was breathing. Finally, the breath started to move in and out of my lungs and, holy shit, it burned! My skin was beginning to tingle and I could feel my teeth start to chatter.

"Bella?"

I managed to open my eyes, and saw Jacob's face, full of worry, hovering over mine.

"Geez, Bells. You don't look so good. I should never had made you jump," he said, his voice full of self loathing.

"I'm...I'm okay," I managed to rasp out.

"No, you're not. Your skin is blue. We need to get you to the hospital!"

I tried to protest, but honestly, I didn't have it in me. I was swaddled in a blanket and carried to the back of someone's car. I faded in and out of consciousness on the way to the hospital, and was vaguely aware of being carried into the building. A few minutes later, I was being laid down on a hospital bed while a nurse began checking my vitals. After what seemed like hours of being poked, prodded, and questioned, I heard the dulcet tones of Charlie coming down the hallway.

"Bella!" he yelled as he came into the room.

Now neither Charlie nor I, are overly affectionate people, but before I knew what was happening, he wrapped me up in a hug, squeezing the life out of me.

"Oh God, Bella. I was so scared! What the hell were you thinking, diving off that cliff?"

I tried to answer him, but ended up clinging to his shirt as hard as I could, sobs overtaking me.

"I'm...I'm so sorry," I managed to get out between sobs.

"Oh, Bells. It's gonna be okay. You're fine," he said, while stroking my hair.

I finally pulled away from Charlie, wiping my eyes and blowing my nose after he handed me a tissue. He pulled up a chair, next to the bed, and gave me a stern look.

"Isabella Marie Swan, what you did today was foolish and stupid. I've already read Jacob the riot act, as well as the other boys, and I let Billy know happened," he said.

Then he started to fidget a bit, scratching the back of his neck with his hand. "Now, I know we don't talk about feelings and stuff, but, uh...if you want, you can talk to me about anything. Well, maybe not anything, but...well shit. I've messed this up."

"Dad, it's okay. I get what you're saying."

"Okay," he sighed, "No more jumping off of cliffs. I thought about grounding you, but honestly, I think what you've gone through since that jump has been punishment enough. But, if you **ever **do something that stupid again, I'll ground you for life. Understood?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Alright. The doctor says I can take you home, so let's get going. I'll even make you dinner."

The look of horror that crossed my face caused Charlie to bust into laughter.

"I can heat up soup out of a can without burning it."

Yeah, right. We'd probably be calling the fire department before the night was over. We started making our way down the hallway, when we ran into Dr. Cullen.

"Chief Swan. Bella. What brings you in?"

"Bella and some of the kids from the reservation decided to go cliff diving. Bella almost managed to drown herself," Charlie told him while I stood there, head hung in shame, face bright red.

Dr. Cullen let out a sigh and ran his fingers through hair, much like Edward does, and then he looked at me.

"I don't need to tell you how foolish that was, do I?"

"No sir. Dad already did that. Believe me, I won't be jumping off any cliffs in the future," I promised.

The ride home was quiet, for which I was grateful. I felt like such a fool. I still couldn't believe that I had actually jumped off a cliff. I'd love to blame Jacob, but honestly, there was no one to blame but myself. Charlie told me to head on up while he started dinner. I agreed, and made my way to the shower, where I tried to wash away the events of today. I started to head back downstairs, when Charlie told me to climb into bed and he'd bring me some soup and toast. Surprisingly, he managed not to burn either the soup or the toast. It was a miracle! Not long after finishing my dinner, exhaustion took over, and I was fast asleep.

_I was standing atop the cliffs, looking into the dark vortex of swirling water below. Fear gripped me as I imagined the waves smashing me against the rocks, breaking my bones to pieces. Assuming of course, that I survived the fall, and didn't land on the rocks. It was as if there was an invisible force, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. And then it happened. I was falling off the cliff, and all I could do was watch in horror, as the dark water reached up to grab me. _

_I hit the water and immediately began to sink. My arms were free, but it felt like something was tied to my feet, preventing me from kicking. I couldn't begin to tell which way was up, and the waves were tossing me to and fro, like a boat in a tsunami. My breath was quickly running out. I was looking all around me for something that would point me in the right direction, but all I saw was darkness. Then from the corner of my eye, I caught sight of something pale. It came closer, and I realized with horror that it was girl. She had long hair that was a tangled, dirty mess, and empty, dead eyes. A look of fear frozen on her face. My face. She was me. I opened my mouth and let out a scream, only to suck in a mouthful of water. And that was it. I could feel the darkness taking over me..._

"Bella!" Charlie's voice yelled, "wake up, Honey. It's just a dream."

My eyes flew open, and I saw Charlie standing next to my bed, shaking my shoulder. I put a hand to my chest and felt my heart racing. I tried to calm myself, drawing in deep breaths.

"Thanks, Dad. I'll be okay now."

He looked at me, nodded, and then left my room. I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning. I was almost afraid to go back to sleep, for fear of more nightmares. I couldn't bring myself to get up and turn on my computer, and I wasn't in the mood to read so I just laid there. By the time seven rolled around, I had given up on sleep and went down to make some breakfast. Charlie had left to go fishing with Billy, so I was left to my own devices. I puttered around the house for the next few hours, bored out of my mind. I did my homework, read some books, cleaned. Finally, I broke down and booted up the computer.

I logged into my Facebook page and noticed that at least ten people had left comments on my wall. What the hell was that all about? I quickly looked through them and noticed that all of them had to do with my adventure yesterday and wanting to know if it was true or not. How the hell had the world found out about it already? I figured I'd just update my status and make no mention of yesterday's previous events. **Bella Swan** _is wondering: If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to see it, do the other trees make fun of it? _ It was sad, but I really wasn't in the mood to be on Facebook, so after updating my status, I logged off and went in search of something new to read. Forty minutes or so had passed, when my phone rang. It was Angela.

"Hey, Angela."

"Bella Swan! What were you thinking? Do you know how dangerous cliff diving is?" she screeched in my ear.

"Ange, I know. It was stupid. Believe me, I know. I hadn't planned on it, that's for sure."

"So, why did you do it?"

"I was up at the cliffs reading and then my friend Jacob showed up with some of his friends from the Rez and they were going cliff diving. I originally said no, and when he asked me again, I ended up saying yes. Next thing I knew, I was airborne."

"You could have died," she said, her voice trembling a bit.

"I know. I promise to never do something that stupid again."

After getting off the phone with Angela, Ben called and read me the riot act. After Ben, it was Jessica, and her hysterics were almost enough to make me want to go jump off the cliffs. Eventually, I calmed Jessica down and explained to her that I hadn't been trying to kill myself. As if I'd kill myself over Victoria or Edward. Puh-lease. I hung up the phone after I was done with Jess, but before I could even set it down, I saw that Tyler was calling. Apparently, throwing one's self off of a cliff warrants instant popularity. I hit ignore and after a few more calls, I just turned my phone off. I was tired of talking about it. Now the people that were calling, weren't calling because they cared, but because they wanted to know all the details and spread the gossip. Ugh.

Several hours later, I found myself watching an old black and white movie on T.V. It was boring as all hell, and didn't hold my interest, but it beat doing homework. I heard the clock chime six and realized that I had never turned my phone back on. Crap! I ran upstairs, managed to trip and bang my shin, then raced to my room to grab my phone and turn it back on. Holy crap! I had six missed calls. One from Tyler, one from Mike (although what he could possibly have to say to me was a mystery), and four from Alice. I checked my messages and noticed that Alice had texted me repeatedly as well. I quickly dialed her number.

"Bella Swan! I am so mad at you!" her voice hollered out of my phone.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I had my phone turned off and just noticed that you called."

"That's not what I'm mad about! Rosalie told me, that she heard from Tanya, who heard from Lauren, who was told by some guy from the reservation that you jumped off the a cliff in an attempt to kill yourself."

"Oh my God. How many times am I going to have to say this? I did not try to kill myself! I was at the cliffs getting some fresh air and my friend Jake showed up with some friends of his and we went cliff diving. There was no suicide attempt. Seriously, Alice. I'm hardly the type to throw myself off a cliff because Victoria's being a bitch. If that was the case, I would've offed myself a while ago."

I heard a small sniffle on the other end. "Well, I'm glad that you're okay. Dad came home from work last night and was real quiet. He said he'd seen you at the hospital, but wouldn't say anything else. But please don't ever do anything like that again. Promise me!"

"I promise, Alice. Believe me, it was the most terrifying thing that's ever happened to me. I was sure I was going to drown," my voice trembled a bit as I said that.

"Well you didn't and you're safe and unharmed. Now for a bit of happier news. I managed to talk to Edward earlier today."

"Yeah? So...how did that go?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant, and totally failing.

"I think it went well. He actually approached me first. He'd heard about your cliff diving adventure, and wanted to know if I'd talked to you and if you were okay. I told him that I hadn't heard from you, but that you'd updated your Facebook page, so obviously you were alive."

"He was worried about me?"

"Of course he was! He might be an ass right now, and utterly confused about everything, but he's still your friend. It might not seem like it right now, but he is. Anyway, that kind of opened the door for me to start asking some questions."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense. Tell me!" I demanded.

She let out a laugh at my impatience.

"Well, I asked him why he cared so much about what happened to you and he got all huffy with me. Said that just because you two weren't talking, didn't mean he didn't care. I asked him why you guys weren't talking and he said to me, 'Oh like you don't know.' And I was all, 'well I'd like to hear your side of things.' So he began telling me how you had betrayed his trust and lied to him about Victoria being mean to you. After that, he went on to say that Victoria had told him that you threatened her and she was scared of you. I totally laughed in his face at that."

"What did he say after you laughed at him?" I asked, as I flopped down on my bed.

"I think he was confused by my reaction. I told him if he believed that crock of shit then I had a bridge to sell him. Of course, he got all pissy with me, but whatever. I explained to him that you didn't have it in you to lie, much less threaten Victoria. I mean really. I pointed out to him that if anyone's doing the threatening, it's Victoria. I mentioned the fact that you had approached him regarding her attitude toward you and that he believed you just fine then. So I asked him what changed."

"And?"

"And he said he didn't really know."

"What? What kind of answer is that?"

"Right. I called bullshit. I said that he must have a reason for suddenly thinking that you were lying to him. He kinda just sat there and then he told me that he was confused about everything. Then he was going on about how he needed to think and couldn't talk to me right then."

"So Angela was right, after all. Well, it'll be interesting to see what Monday brings."

"You'll be fine. Remember, no matter what anyone says, you've got some great friends backing you up."

I smiled at that. "You're right. I do. Thanks for everything, Alice."

"You bet. I'll see you on Monday," and then we said our goodbyes.

I laid there on my bed, staring at the ceiling, going over everything Alice had told me in my head. While I understood Edward was confused and guilt-ridden, it didn't give him an excuse to treat me the way he did. I wasn't sure I was willing to forgive him right away, if, on Monday, he decided to apologize. Like I told Alice, Monday was going to be interesting for sure. I was fairly confident that there were rumors of my supposed suicide attempt racing throughout the town. Some days, I really hated living in a small town. Everyone knows everyone's business.

I spent the rest of the night hanging out with Charlie, once he got home from work. I think the scare of almost losing me made him want to spend more time with me. That's how I got stuck watching a football game with him.

"Dad, please don't make me watch this," I whined.

"Consider this a punishment of sorts. Now sit back and watch my Seahawks destroy the Cardinals."

I had no idea who the Cardinals were, and frankly, I didn't care. I spent the first 40 minutes trying to understand the game, but quickly gave up after Charlie yelled at me to be quiet and stop pestering him. I sat back with a huff and gave Charlie my best death glare. He was unaffected by it though. Finally, the game was over, with the Seahawks having lost, putting Charlie in a cranky mood. I escaped to my room and proceeded to read until my eyes could no longer stay open.

Monday arrived in the form of a thunderstorm. Lightening flashing, rain hitting the side of the house and thunder rolling across the skies. I love a good thunderstorm and would have given anything to stay home in bed, enjoying it. Dressed with my umbrella at the ready, I headed out the door, making a mad dash to Chuck. Secure in the warm, dry cab, I started him up and started toward my personal hell. I wasn't looking forward to today at all. Granted, I rarely ever look forward to a Monday, but today was going to be a kicker. I just knew it. I pulled into a spot near Ben's car and with a huge sigh, got out of the truck.

Ben and Angela were waiting underneath an umbrella for me. I smiled at seeing them.

"Hey gang."

"Hey, Bells. So how much are you looking forward to today?" Ben asked me.

"So much. Today is gonna rock!" I sarcastically replied.

"Now, now, Bella. Don't be bitchy. After all, everyone knows how violent you can get," Angela broke in.

I put hand over my heart and said, "Ouch! You wound me."

Each of them slung an arm around me, and we entered the hellish halls of Forks High as a united front. Immediately upon entering, eyes turned my way and feverish whispers flowed from lips. I did my best to ignore it all, and made my way to my locker. I had just opened it up and was shoving books inside it, when a booming voice made me look up.

"Yo, Miss Trips-A-Lot!"

I couldn't contain the smile that broke across my face, hearing that big oaf holler at me.

"Hey, Emmett."

He came over and drew me into a huge hug, crushing my ribs, and leaving me struggling for breath. Rosalie was standing next to him, watching with an amused expression on her face.

"Emmett, put the poor girl down before you kill her."

He immediately let go of me and bent his head down to look me in the eye.

"You okay?"

"I was, until you broke my ribs."

"Ha, ha. So no major damage done from your cliff escapade?"

"I'm good. My throat was sore for a bit, but I'm fine, if not a bit embarrassed about the whole thing."

He shook his head. "Who knew the Fumbling Queen would be a closet cliff diver? Damn, girl! When Rose first told me, I couldn't believe it. You're not the type to stare danger straight in the eye."

"Puh-lease," Ben snorted, "she looks danger in the eye every time she attempts to walk."

"Jerk!" I mumbled at him.

Ben grinned at me and gave me a mock punch on the arm.

"Love ya, Bells."

"Sure you do."

Rosalie leaned against the locker next to mine and tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention.

"Bella, I just want to give you a heads up. Rumor has it that you tried to off yourself because of the whole Edward/Victoria crap. Victoria is totally playing it up, going on about how she knew you were mentally unstable and this just proves it."

"Fabulous. Like that bitch needs anymore ammunition against me," I sighed.

"Emmett, Alice, and myself are doing our best to dispel the rumor. FYI, your so called friends, Lauren and Mike aren't helping the situation at all."

"What?" Ben, Angela, and I all asked.

"Lauren and Mike are telling Victoria all kinds of things about you. The morons are too stupid to realize that Victoria is using them and that she'll never let them be part of her crowd."

I'm not sure why I was surprised by this, but I was. I knew that Lauren would do anything to be one of Victoria's bitches, but I was kinda surprised that Mike would do this. I was even more surprised that Jess would allow him to get away with it. I slammed my locker shut and took a deep breath.

"Well, I guess I know who my real friends are, don't I?"

Angela and I headed off to homeroom, which was awkward to say the least. The stares I was being given were beginning to really creep me out, and I was tired of the whispers. I mean really, people. If you have something to fucking say, then say it! Homeroom ended, so Angela and I went off to English where Mr. Mason informed us that we would be getting into groups and discussing the progress of our stories. That was fine with me until he said that we would be in the same groups as last time. Fucking fantastic. I'd get to group with Mike and Tanya. Again. This would certainly prove to be interesting. As Angela and I moved over towards Mike, I was relieved to see that Tanya wasn't in attendance. Small blessing. So Angela and I sat down across from Mike, arms crossed, and giving him double death glares. He was clearly uncomfortable, as he should be.

"Hey ladies," he said, in what I guess, was supposed to a be winning voice.

"Mike," I said.

"So, uh, how are you?"

"Why do you care?"

"What do you mean why do I care? We're friends."

"Are we?"

Mike shifted in his chair and wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Yeah, of course we are."

"Funny. My friends don't talk shit about me behind my back."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered.

"Really?" I asked him coolly, "From what I heard, you and Lauren couldn't wait to tell Victoria all about me."

His face had started to turn red and he was tugging on the collar of his shirt. He looked at Angela, with a pleading look on his face as if asking her to help him. She sat there, arms crossed, and continued with the death stare.

"I...uh..."

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the desk and stared straight at him.

"I'm hurt and disappointed in you, Mike. We've been friends since first grade. Why would you do this? Why?"

He finally got up the nerve to look me in the eye and said, "You can't possibly be that dumb, Bella. It's obvious to everyone that you've got a thing for Edward and sure, maybe you and Edward could have an affair or whatnot, but in the end he would've dropped you and gone back to Victoria. So I told Victoria that you were trying to steal Edward away from her. I did this to help you!"

"What?" I was so utterly confused by his explanation. "Let me get this straight. You went to Victoria and **lied**; telling her that I was going to steal Edward away. And you did this to save me from being hurt by Edward? That is so fucked up. Did you think that I'd be grateful to you for lying and helping Victoria spread rumors about me?"

"I did it to save you!" he stressed, reaching out his hand to touch mine.

I jerked my hand away quickly.

"Save me from what exactly? From being humiliated? From being made a fool of? Well, congratulations Mike, you failed. And for the record, I would **never** steal someone's boyfriend away from them, no matter how much I liked him. That's not who I am. Edward was my friend, but now thanks to you, Lauren, and Victoria, he's not even that anymore. Satisfied? Because that's what this was really about wasn't it? You were pissed that I was attracted to Edward and not you!"

"What? Of course that's not what this was about," he sputtered.

I shook my head in disgust. "Whatever, Mike. It's done. Although how in the world you'd think that I'd still want to be your friend after this, is beyond me."

"So that's it, huh? I tried to help you and now you don't want to be my friend anymore?"

"Pretty much. I don't want to be friends with someone who helped ruin my reputation," I said.

Then, taking a deep breath, I composed myself and told Mike sweetly, "What was it you said to me last week? Oh right. Something about how I wasn't the type to get sucked into the glamour of the in-crowd. Well, look who's sucked in now. How does it feel to be Victoria's bitch?" and with that, I dismissed him and starting talking with Angela.

After our conversation, Mike told Mr. Mason he wasn't feeling well and left class. Angela and I spent the remainder of the period discussing our stories, in an attempt at some normalcy. Thankfully, the rest of the morning was pretty drama free, as was lunch. Ben, Angela, and I sat with Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett. I'm sure this caused even more tongues to wag, since we never sat with them. While I knew Alice and Emmett fairly well, it was nice to get to know Rosalie a bit better and Jasper, as well. Rosalie still scared the shit out of me, but I was glad to have her in my corner. Jasper was a quiet guy hailing from Austin, Texas. While he didn't speak up much, when he did, everyone listened, and I was eternally grateful to have him on my side. Unfortunately for me, lunch passed too quickly and Biology was soon upon me. I dragged my feet, stalling as long as I could.

"Come on, Bella. It'll be fine. I know these things remember?" Alice said.

"Oh right. You're sixth sense."

Angela cast Alice a curious look. That was all it took for Alice to be off and running about her "special" ability. The three of us walked into biology together, and I noticed Edward sitting at our table. I shot Alice and Angela a panicked look before heading to the table. Sitting down, I pulled out my crap and did my best to ignore the beautiful boy beside me.

"Hey, Bella," he said quietly.

"Oh, you're talking to me now?" I snarkly replied. I couldn't help it. He doesn't speak to me for days and now that I'm all "interesting," he wants to talk. Whatever. Jerk!

"I...," he let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said as the warning bell rang.

"Oh, you're sorry. Well, that makes it all better doesn't it?"

He gave me a glare, which I returned. Then he asked if we could talk later. Really? He apologizes, a shitty apology at that, and now he wants to talk. I don't think so. We'll talk when I'm ready to talk. Until then he can just wait.

"I'm busy later," I told him.

"What about tomorrow?"

Just then Mr. Banner walked into class and came over to our table. He handed me a note and told me in a quiet voice that Mr. Laurent, our school's guidance counselor, wanted to talk with me after class. Well, wasn't that just great. No doubt, I'd have to explain, yet again that I wasn't trying to off myself. I took the note from Mr. Banner and shoved it into my pocket. I turned to Edward, only to see he had a guilty look on his face. Doucheward was probably under the delusion that he'd driven me to jump off a cliff.

"So, uh, can we talk tomorrow?" he asked again.

I shrugged my response to him. Then I turned my attention to Mr. Banner, ignoring Edward for the rest of class. Petty? Yes. But part of me wanted him to know what it felt like to be ignored.

* * *

A/N: Let me know what you thought. BTW, if you're looking for a really good story to read, I'd recommend First and Ten by Nolebucgrl. It's a fantastic Bella/Edward story.


	11. Ordinary Day

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. If I did, I'd own my own island, equipped with hot, half-naked men.

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I geek out everytime I get a new review. Just ask my beta. Chylex28, thanks for fixing my crap and making it grammatically correct. Once again, I apologize for the delay. FF was, yet again, not allowing me to post a new chapter.

* * *

Just a day,  
Just an ordinary day.  
Just trying to get by.  
Just a boy,  
Just an ordinary boy.  
But he was looking to the sky.  
And as he asked if I would come along  
I started to realize  
That everyday he finds  
Just what he's looking for,  
Like a shooting star he shines.

~Ordinary Day~ Vanessa Carlton

* * *

Surviving High School

I was greeted, Tuesday morning by the infernal beeping of my alarm clock. With a groan, I flopped over and smashed my hand down on the clock, in hopes of quieting it. Getting up, I couldn't help but hope that today would be a little less dramatic than yesterday. Although, telling Mike off had been empowering. It felt really good to let out it all out. And then giving Edward a taste of his medicine. Classic. However, the "talk" with Mr. Laurent had been more than embarrassing. Adding insult to injury, I'd totally forgotten that he was Bitchtoria's father. Yeah. I know. How the hell I managed to forget that, was beyond me. It wasn't until I stepped into his office and saw his glaring red hair, that I remembered he had spawned the devil herself. I didn't understand it. Mr. Laurent was a perfectly nice man, if not a bit emotional, but how the hell he had a daughter like **her** was beyond me.

After a quick shower and breakfast, I made my way to school. As I pulled into the lot, I noticed Mike, Jessica, and Lauren arguing near Jessica's car. I made sure to park as far away from them as possible. I really didn't want to get sucked into whatever they were arguing about. I did wonder where Jessica stood in all this. After all, she was dating Mike, and was best friends with Lauren. I locked Chuck and was making my way towards the front doors of the school, when Jessica called out my name.

"Bella! Wait a sec."

I stopped and waited for her to catch up with me. I noticed that she seemed a bit flushed and asked her if everything was okay.

"No, everything isn't okay. Mike and Lauren are being complete jerks! I cannot believe them! I thought they were your friends and then to go and do what they did. Well, let's just say Mike is going to the dance by himself."

I was a bit taken back by the venom I heard in her voice. Sure, Jessica and I were friends, but we weren't super close. The fact that she was siding with me, over her boyfriend and best friend, made me realize that perhaps I had misjudged Jessica.

"Oh, Jess. I don't want what's going on with me to affect your relationships with them."

"Bella, please. You're my friend. What they did was wrong and low. I've always known that Lauren didn't like you, but I didn't think she'd do something like this. As for Mike. He's always had a crush on you," she said sounding a bit sad. "And even though he and I are dating, he got jealous because you seemed to like Edward. In a way, I understand his train of thought in that he thought he was helping you, but he can't seem to understand that he's just made things worse."

I threw an arm around her and gave her shoulders a squeeze.

"Thanks for being my friend, Jess."

"Of course. We'd better get going before the bell rings."

The day passed by pretty quickly, and I noticed that while there were still some stares and whispers, they weren't as bad as they had been yesterday. Throwing my books into my locker, I made my way to the cafeteria, got in line, and grabbed a slice of pizza and an apple. I started to make my way to my usual table, but thought better of it when I saw Mike sitting there glaring at me. I saw Jessica nearby and asked her if she wanted to sit with me, but she said she was heading to the library. I looked around the cafeteria and noticed Emmett and Rosalie sitting at a table in the corner.

"Mind if I sit with you guys?" I asked them.

"Stumbling Bella! Of course not. Always glad to have your smiling face at our table," Emmett said, with his usual gusto and a huge grin.

Rosalie gave me a smile and then excused herself to grab something to drink. I sat there with Emmett, discussing his stick drawings, when I saw Angela and Ben enter the cafeteria, holding hands. I waved to them to let them know that I was sitting with Emmett and Rosalie. A few minutes later, Angela and Ben had joined us. Soon after, so did Alice and Jasper. Almost immediately, Alice starting gabbing with Angela about the dance coming up on Friday, wanting to know what Angela and Ben's plans were. Seeing as how I wasn't going to it, I'd totally forgotten all about the dance.

"So Bella, what did Edward want yesterday?" Angela asked me.

All conversation that had been going on around the table, stopped. The sudden silence startled me, and I found six faces staring at me in rapture. Thank you, Angela. Nothing I love more than being the center of attention.

"Oh. He 'apologized'," I said with air quotes. "Then he asked if we could talk."

"What did you say?"Alice inquired. I could see that she was truly interested in finding out what her brother had said to me.

"I told him he needed to work on his apology, cause it was crap. He said, and I quote, 'I'm sorry.' That was it. No explanation, no groveling, just, I'm sorry. Worst. Apology. Ever. As for talking to him, I told him we'll see."

"Good. I'm glad you didn't let him get away with a crappy apology. What a jerk!" Rosalie said.

"Oh you should've heard Bella go off on Mike in English yesterday," Angela said, with a bit too much glee in her voice.

Emmett leaned forward on the table and gave me a devilish grin. "Do tell."

"Well, after Rosalie informed us that Mike and Lauren were giving info to the enemy, I decided to have a chat with Mike. Angela, Mike, and I were in a group together in English. Basically, I called him out. He was going on about how he did it to save me from the hurt that Edward would have bestowed upon me, blah, blah, blah. Such crap."

"He truly believed he was helping her out by putting a target on her back and didn't understand why Bella was mad at him," Angela chimed in.

"What about Lauren? What's her deal?" Jasper asked quietly.

Angela, Ben, and I looked at each other. Where to start? Lauren and I hadn't always been unfriendly towards each other. We'd actually been friends at one point.

"Well," I started. "Lauren and I were pretty close from Kindergarten till third grade. Then in third grade, I had a sleep over, and Lauren to let me cut her hair. Needless to say, being a barber is not in my future. I pretty much hacked all her hair off and she sat there and let me. My mom was mad when she saw what I'd done, so she called Lauren's mother who came over and freaked out when she saw it. Then Lauren decided to play the injured card and said that I'd cut her hair off without her permission and made a big show of crying. So that was the end of that friendship."

"I'd totally forgotten about that!" Ben exclaimed. "She looked like a boy for the longest time."

"Yep. And she's never forgiven me."

We all laughed at that. Personally, I felt it was bit dumb to hold a grudge for so long, but whatever.

"Oh, Bella. What did Mr. Banner want?" Alice asked me.

"He gave me a note letting me know that Mr. Laurent wanted to have a talk with me after class."

"That's what you get for trying to kill yourself," Ben said.

I threw my apple core at him and continued. "It was so embarrassing. He sat me down and told me that a friend of mine had come to him because she was concerned about me. That this 'friend' had mentioned that I was upset about the rumors floating around school and that she was worried I would do something rash. So of course, my jumping off a cliff was only proof of how distraught I was. So he brings out these pamphlets about counseling, and being bullied, then proceeds to tell me that I can come talk to him at anytime. I'm sure I was lobster red by the time he was done. Anyway, I asked him who this 'concerned friend' was and he wouldn't tell me, but I can only assume it was Victoria. He is her dad after all."

"Oh man! I forgot that her daddy's the guidance counselor," Emmett said.

"Tell me about it. It wasn't till I saw his hair that I remembered. I know that none of you went to him, so it only makes sense that she's the one who went to him."

"Sounds just like her. Out to make you seem unstable," Rosalie said.

I spent Biology ignoring Edward, despite his pathetic attempts to talk to me. Part of me felt like a complete bitch, but the other part of me was still angry at him for his behavior and his half-assed apology. Finally, during the last few minutes of class, I told him that I'd talk to him when I was good and ready and not a minute before. I'm pretty sure that pissed him off even more.

* * *

Thursday arrived rather quickly, and I was ready for the weekend. I was ready to just kick back and relax and have a drama free weekend. Alice had asked Angela and I if we wanted to hang out on Saturday, and we agreed. Why not? Alice said that Edward wouldn't be around, and if he was, well, we'd cross that bridge when we came to it. I was heading toward gym class, lost in thought, when I almost ran into Lauren. I really didn't want to deal with her shit, and was hoping she'd just walk on by. No such luck.

"Watch where you're going, Swan!" she barked at me. Wow. Had she been taking lessons on being a bitch from Victoria?

"You know Lauren, just because you follow Victoria around like a puppy doesn't mean that you're a member of the in-crowd."

She tossed her stringy, blond hair back and sneered at me. "Whatever, Bella. You're just mad that I ruined your plans."

Good Lord, she was delusional. "What plans?"

"Your plans to seduce Edward in order to get in with the popular crowd. You might have made a fool of me once before, but never again!"

Huh? "Wow. Did you think of that all on your own? Just for the record, I would never do anything like that. As for making a fool of you, it was 8 years ago, Lauren! 8 years ago, when you let me cut your hair. It's not completely my fault you spent the end of third grade looking like a boy. But, whatever. What you've done; telling lies to Victoria about me, shows just what kind of person you are. A shallow, pathetic, jealous bitch. Have fun being Victoria's lap dog, cause that's all you'll ever be."

I stalked off after having my words with her, only to find myself paired up with Mike in gym. Fan-fucking-tastic. Once school was over, with no more encounters, I headed home. I spent most of my evening doing homework and then found myself drawn to Facebook. Yes, I am addict. I can't help it. **Bella Swan** _is wondering what happens if you get scared half to death twice? _I loaded up my games and killed the next few hours on mindless games. A great way to relax the mind. I was in the middle of contemplating on whether or not I wanted to try my hand at virtual farming (so far I'd refrained from it) when my chat popped up.

**Alice Cullen:** hey

**Bella Swan:** hey alice. whats up

**Alice Cullen:** not much. youre going to the dance tomorrow night right

**Bella Swan:** that would be a big N.O.

**Alice Cullen:** please please please please come to the dance

**Bella Swan:** first of all I dont have a date. second of all I dont have a dress. third of all I dont dance. Ever!

**Alice Cullen:** dont worry about the date, we're doing a group thing anyways. i have tons of dresses, im sure to have something that would look good on you.

**Bella Swan:** i dont think your dresses will fit me

**Alice Cullen: **im practically five feet even and youre what? 5'2". itll be fine. and dont worry about dancing. just come to hang out with us. please please please

**Bella Swan:** youre going to harass me til i give in arent you

**Alice Cullen: **yes!

Damn her! I really didn't want to go to this stupid thing. I would be the only single person in a group of couples. But I knew Alice, and I knew she'd come after me till I caved in. Might as well save myself the trouble. I let out a sigh and wrote her back.

**Bella Swan:** fine! but im going under duress!

**Alice Cullen:** duly noted. come over after school tomorrow and ill get you fixed up and then we can have a sleepover as well.

Crap! What in the world had I gotten myself into? I had a feeling, tomorrow afternoon would be spent with Alice playing Bella Barbie. I logged off my computer and went downstairs to tell Charlie all about my new plans. Yippie.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Bells. Thought you were heading to bed?"

"I am. Just wanted to let you know that I'm going over to Alice Cullen's tomorrow," and then I mumbled as quickly as possible that I was going to the dance as well.

"What was that last part?"

I let out a sigh and tugged on a strand of hair. "Alice talked me into going to the dance with a group of them."

Charlie grinned. "What I wouldn't pay to see that. Make sure someone takes pictures of you tripping all over the dance floor."

"Thanks, Dad! Way to be supportive!" I said, then headed back upstairs.

I got all snuggled up in my bed, turned off my lamp, and fell asleep.

_I walked into the gym that served as our dance floor. For some reason, I was wearing a sparkly, sequined ,hot pink, floor length gown made of ballerina tulle. It even had ruffles and a bow! How the hell had I ended up in this?_ _I would never wear such a monstrosity. And then I looked down at my feet. Heels? Are you fucking kidding me? Hot pink ones, with straps and 4 inch heels. I was going to die. I stumbled my way to a chair, sat down, and did my damnedest to take the offensive shoes off, but they wouldn't budge. It was like they were glued to my feet. While I sat there tugging uselessly at the stupid things, a hand placed itself on my shoulder. _

"_Hey, Bella."_

_Edward. Why was he here? _

"_Hi, Edward."_

"_I'm so glad you agreed to come with me. We're going to have a great time!"_

_Wait. What? Agreed to come with him? I didn't agree to come with him. _

"_Edward, what..."_

_Before I could finish what I was saying, the band starting playing and Edward grabbed my hand and tugged me onto the dance floor. I grabbed on to his arms and hung on for fear of falling. _

"_Bella, it's okay. I've got you. I won't let anything happen to you," he said, smiling and placing a chaste kiss on my lips._

_I was so confused that I could do nothing, but cling to him as he swayed us gently back and forth. And then a light appeared over us, like a beacon. A disco ball had aescended from the ceiling and started spinning. It was then, I noticed that my skin was shimmering. Oh God! I looked like one of Mike's sparkly vampires. I took a closer look and noticed that my arms were covered in glitter. Huh. That was odd. Okay, this whole thing was odd. The longer we danced, the more I realized how much I enjoyed being in his arms. I found myself inhaling his warm, spicy scent and resting my cheek against his chest. His arms tightened around me and he pressed a kiss into my hair._

"_Oh, Bella. I'm so glad that we're together. I'm so much happier when I'm with you."_

_And just like that, my heart melted. I was a pile of Bella goo. _

"_I'm glad we're together too, Edward."_

_It was a perfect night. Minus the hideous dress I was wearing. But of course, nothing good stays forever. All too soon, a horrible screeching sounded across the room. Edward and I paused, and looked to the entrance of the gym. There stood Victoria, in a barely-there dress, hands on her hips, fire in her eyes. She stalked toward us. Before I could stop her, she grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked as hard as she could._

"_You fucking bitch! How dare you show up here!"_

_Ow, ow, ow! I clawed at her hands in an attempt to get her to let go of my hair, but she had a death grip on it. I could feel the hairs being ripped out by the roots. _

"_Let go of me, you crazy pyscho!" I hollered at her. _

_I managed to get a hand free and tried my hardest to claw at her eyes. I managed to leave a nice scratch on her face and just kept going. There was no way I was going down without a fight. _

"_Don't just stand there, Edward! Help me out!" she screeched at him._

_Before I could comprehend what was happening, Edward had my arms pinned behind my back, giving Victoria the opportunity to attack me. To say I was stunned, would be an understatement. With my hands behind my back, I was defenseless. Or was I? I waited until Victoria leaned in, and then I kicked her as hard as I could. I made direct contact and Victoria howled in pain. I then swung my heel back and got Edward in the shin. He too gasped in pain, weakening his grip, allowing me to slip out of it. I hiked up the nightmare of a dress and taking my life in my hands, made a mad dash to the door. I reached it just as Edward did. I tugged on the door, but Edward's hands were pressed against it, preventing me from opening it._

"_Edward! Please! Just let me go!" I pleaded with him._

"_I can't do that, Bella," he said, with a feral grin. _

_He reached out and wrapped an arm around my neck, pulling my head to one side. From the corner of my eye, I saw two fangs emerge from his upper gums and braced myself for the pain and death that was sure to follow._

A loud clap of thunder startled me awake, and I greeted Friday morning with my heart pounding and blood racing. Realizing I wasn't going to get back to sleep, I began getting ready for my day. After my morning ritual, I trudged downstairs and found a note from Charlie telling me to have a good time and to make sure someone took pics of me making a fool of myself. Gotta love Charlie. I shook my head after reading the note, then grabbed my stuff and headed to school. I wasn't at my locker for more than a few minutes when I was accosted by Alice.

"We're gonna have so much fun today!" she squealed.

"Sure we are," was my reply.

Alice took note of my less than enthusiastic voice and started to pout.

"Bella," she whined, "we're gonna have fun! It's going to be great. We're going to get all dressed up and fancy and then dance the night away!"

I shut my locker and leaned my head against it. What had I done? Why was I going to allow this to happen? I must be a glutton for punishment. That, or I'm insane.

"Bella? Are you even listening to me?" Alice asked.

"Huh?"

She rolled her eyes at me and grabbed my arm, dragging me down the hall toward my homeroom.

"I was saying, that you can just follow me home, or if you want, I can follow you home and we'll take my car to my house."

"Oh, either works for me."

"Fine. We'll drop your truck off and then go over to my house."

Angela cornered me in homeroom after I talked to Alice, and wanted to know if I was really going to the dance. I told her I was, and then I told her Charlie's reaction and what he said. She thought it was hilarious and said she'd make sure to have her camera ready. The rest of the day was spent by Angela and Ben teasing me, and warning everyone to stay away from me on the dance floor. What can I say? I have great friends. All too soon, the end of the day had arrived. Normally, I live for Friday's bell, but not today. Today, I was going to be subjected to the torture that is beautification. I drove as slow as possible on the way home, with Alice following behind me in her Porsche, honking the horn the whole way. Once home, I ran in and dropped off my stuff, then climbed into the metal death trap that was Alice's car.

"Now, Bella. I realize that you aren't exactly looking forward to this, but I promise you'll have a good time."

"Alright, Alice. I believe you. Just don't torture me too much," I pleaded.

"It'll practically be painless."

Practically? What did she mean practically painless? I asked her what she meant by that and she just laughed at me. I'll admit I was getting a bit freaked out. We arrived at the Cullen house and I was immediately greeted by Mrs. Cullen when we walked in.

"Bella! It's so wonderful to see you! How are you?"

"I'm doing good, Mrs. Cullen. How are you?"

"Perfectly wonderful dear! Why don't you two head on up and start getting ready for the dance, and I'll bring up some snacks."

"Thanks, Mom!" Alice called, as she dragged me up the steps to her room.

Entering Alice's room was like stepping into a wonderland. No joke. Three of the walls were a beautiful pale yellow, and the fourth wall had a forest mura,l on it complete with fairies. I'm pretty sure I was doing a great imitation of a goldfish, with my mouth hanging wide open. She had this marvelous couch underneath some windows, and a huge sleigh bed with a colorful spread. Everything about this room screamed Alice. It was fantastic.

"Holy shit, Alice! Your room is awesome!"

"I know right," she giggled.

She then walked over to a set of doors and threw them wide open, revealing a huge walk-in closet full of clothes, shoes, and handbags. It was like she had a mall in there. She walked into the closet and starting pulling out dresses left and right. I sat down on the couch and just watched the whirlwind that was Alice. Ten minutes later, she emerged from the closet with an armful of dresses. She placed the dresses on the bed and beckoned me over.

"Since you're not that much taller than me, I thought you could look through these and see if anything catches your eye."

She had pulled out six different dresses and some of them were so not me. I wasn't about to be caught dead in pink, especially after yesterday's nightmare. Ugh. And then I saw it. It was a beautiful royal blue dress with a scoop neck halter, a black sash to tie around the middle, and cute ruffles on the bottom. Now, I'm not normally a ruffle kind of girl, but it looked so cute on this dress. Alice pointed me toward the bathroom and told me to go try it on. I quickly undressed and slipped the dress on, tying the halter at my neck. I had to ask Alice to help me zip it up.

"Oh my God, Bella! That dress is so cute on you!"

She was right. It did, indeed, look cute on me. It made me feel feminine, yet not too girly at the same time. The only issue I had with the dress, was that it was way shorter than anything I was used to wearing. I mentioned this to Alice.

"Bella, it's supposed to be short and it looks great! Do you really think I'd let you walk out of here looking like a hobag?"

"Well, no," I told her.

I walked out of the bathroom with her and watched her dive back into her closet.

"Now we just have to find you the perfect shoes."

A few minutes later, she came out with a ton of shoes. I vetoed most of them right away. There was no way I was going to wear heels and I let her know it.

"But, Bella! You have to wear heels."

"If you want me to spend the evening in the ER with a broken ankle, then by all means, put me in heels."

"What about a really, really small heel?" she asked, holding up a cute pair of black patent leather shoes with a ½ inch heel.

"Oooo, those are cute! I think I could manage a small heel," I said, as she handed me the shoes.

I took them from her and slid them on. A perfect fit. Looking at myself in her full-length mirror, I saw they really helped complete the outfit. Even more surprisingly, they were comfortable. I gave Alice a big grin and told her I loved them.

"Well duh. They're Jimmy Choo. Of course you love them."

Holy shit! I had a pair of Jimmy Choos on my feet. These shoes costs more than my truck! Now I was terrified to wear them. I could see myself tripping and scuffing up the leather. Alice must have seen the look of terror on my face.

"Calm down, Bella! They're just shoes, and you're wearing them!"

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Mrs. Cullen came into the room.

"Oh, Bella! Look at you! You look stunning!"

I could feel myself turning ten shades of red.

"Thanks, Mrs. Cullen."

She left us with some snacks and not wanting to ruin the dress, I changed back into my clothes. When I came out of the bathroom, Alice was on the phone. After hanging up, she turned to me.

"That was Rose. She's on her way over to get dressed with us. There's nothing I love more than getting all dolled up. Well, except for shopping. I love shopping!"

I had to laugh at that. Judging by the amount of clothes and shoes in her closet, I had no doubt that she was a shopaholic. Twenty minutes later, Rosalie arrived with garment bag and shoe box in tow.

"Hey, Bella. I see the little demon convinced you to join us tonight."

"Yeah. I tried to say no, but quickly realized it was useless. It was just easier to give in."

"So true."

"Hey! I'm standing right here!" the little demon shouted, and we busted out into giggles.

"Alright, ladies. Let's get beautified. Hit the shower, then we'll do hair and makeup. After that, we'll get dressed and accessorize," Alice said, pushing me toward her bathroom and handing me some towels and a packaged razor. I was a bit scared that she'd put so much thought into all of this.

It felt weird showering in someone else's shower. It felt weirder, shaving in someone else's shower. I showered and shaved quickly, managing not to nick myself, and quickly got out. I wrapped myself up in towels, opened the door, and headed into Alice's room.

"Rose, get in the shower, while I start fixing Bella's hair and makeup," she said, leading me over to her vanity.

She sat me down, started combing my hair, and then brought out the blow dryer. It was nice being pampered, I admit. I closed my eyes, and allowed Alice to work her magic. Ten minutes later, Rosalie was out of the shower and my hair was done. I was afraid Alice would want to make it all complicated with hairspray and a thousand bobby pins, but she didn't. She'd left my hair down, but curled it and added a few sparkly bobby pins to hold it in place. It looked fantastic, as did my makeup. Alice had put a minimal amount of eyeshadow, mascara, a bit of blush and some lip gloss. Looking in the mirror, I almost didn't recognize the girl looking back.

"Wow, Alice! Just. Wow. I look good."

"Damn straight you do! I'm good. Now move aside, so I can get Rose done and then get started on myself."

I moved off of the vanity stool and sat on the bed, watching Alice do Rosalie's hair and makeup. Once Rosalie was done, and Alice went to shower, Rosalie and I got our dresses on. I was a bit embarrassed to be getting dressed in front of someone, so I tried to get dressed as quickly as possible. I stepped into the blue dress and asked Rosalie to zip it up.

"Damn girl! You clean up good."

"Thanks, Rosalie."

"Bella, I think we're at the point where you can call me Rose. We may not be friends necessarily, but we're far from being enemies."

You could've knocked me over with a feather. I was being given permission to call Rosalie Hale, Rose. I think I felt hell freeze over. This was a big deal. Well, to me it was.

"Okay, Rose."

Once Alice was out of the shower and dressed, we all headed downstairs. We walked into the parlor (yes, the Cullens have a freaking parlor), where we were met by Mrs. and Dr. Cullen.

"Ladies, you all look beautiful," Dr. Cullen said.

Damn this stupid blush! I was sure my face was bright red, but I managed to mumble out a thanks to the hot doctor. Mrs. Cullen pulled out a camera and asked us to pose for a few pictures. You would've thought we were going to prom instead of the Sadie Hawkins dance. About fifteen minutes later, we heard a car pull up, and there was knock on the door. Dr. Cullen opened the door and let in Emmett and Jasper. I've got to say, those boys sure looked good!

"Day-am Bellaluna! You look fine!" Emmett boomed when he saw me.

And there went the blush again.

"Thanks, Emmett. You don't look so bad yourself."

"Not so bad? I'll have you know that I. Am. Hot!" and then he started strutting around the room like a supermodel on the catwalk.

Before I knew it, Jasper had whipped out his phone and had I'm Too Sexy blaring from it. I tried not to laugh, but really, what was the point? This shit was fucking hilarious. I started laughing and soon, we were all cracking up at Emmett's antics. Dude was too much. Mrs. Cullen had the couples pose for a few more pics and then took a few more group shots of us all. Just as we finished taking the last shot, I heard a door slam and feet coming down the stairs.

"Mom, Dad! I'm heading over to Victoria's to pick her up," a familiar voice yelled. Huh. I hadn't even realized that Edward was at home.

"Come here, first. I want to get a picture of you," Mrs. Cullen called out to him.

Edward walked into the room and my breath got stuck in my throat. God, he was so beautiful. Too bad he was a beautiful jerk! He was wearing charcoal colored dress pants, with a white button down oxford, and a green tie that matched his eyes. I almost let out a sigh upon seeing him, but managed to contain it. His eyes widened when he realized that I was in the room. Apparently, he hadn't known that I was over here. He kept glancing over at me as if he couldn't believe it was me. You could've cut the tension in the room with a knife.

"Oh, Edward honey. You look so handsome. Let me get a picture of you real quick by yourself and then one with the group," Mrs. Cullen said.

She snapped away with the camera, then made us get into a group. I was standing at the end near Emmett, but Mrs. Cullen wasn't having any of that.

"Bella, dear. Why don't you stand next to Edward?"

Can we say awkward? Cause that's what it was. I moved next to Edward and did my best to smile for the camera, all too aware of his presence next to me. Finally, after what felt like years, we were free to leave. Edward hightailed it out the door, obviously in a hurry to get to his precious Victoria. Ugh! The five of us followed Edward out the door and made our way over to Emmett's Hummer. I stood there staring at this beast of a vehicle, trying to figure out how the hell I was going to get in it in a dress.

"Need some help?" asked Jasper.

I turned to look at the quiet, southern boy and gave him a smile.

"Yeah. Not sure how this is supposed to work when wearing a dress."

"Grab onto the handle and I'll help you up. I promise not to look up your dress," he said flashing me a smile.

"Gee, that's awfully nice of you," I said laughing.

Once situated in the back with Alice and Jasper, we took off towards the school. The dance was being held in the gym, so we pulled into the back parking lot and carefully climbed out. I thought I was in the clear, and then of course I tripped and almost fell out of the damn Hummer. Luckily, Jasper caught me before I face planted.

"Thanks, Jasper."

"You bet."

I walked slowly behind the group, feeling a bit left out. Emmett had an arm around Rose and Alice and Jasper were holding hands and talking softly. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. I was so caught up in my self pity, that I barely noticed that we'd arrived at the gym doors.

"Hey Stumbalina. You gonna dance with me tonight? Rosie says it's okay."

"Um...how do you feel about having your toes broken?" I asked him.

"I'm tough. I can handle it. So you and me. We're gonna get our groove on," and then he started gyrating his hips wildly. I didn't know whether to laugh or cringe. Rose solved the problem by smacking him in the head.

"Behave, Emmett!" she hissed at him.

"Well, we all know who the alpha in that relationship is, don't we?" Jasper drawled.

"Guess that makes Emmett the beta," I said.

"Yeah, the beta-half!" Emmett exclaimed.

We all groaned. "That was horrible!" we exclaimed to him. Which of course, caused Emmett to pout and act all put out.

"Come on, you big baby. Let's go find a table and then hit the dance floor," Rose said.

We found a round table in the corner and quickly claimed it as ours. Looking around, it seemed like the entire student body had come out to this dance. I saw Angela and Ben come in and waved at them to get their attention.

"Oh my God, Bella! You look great!" Angela squealed in my ear, hugging me.

"Thanks. You look pretty great yourself."

"Of course she does. She's gorgeous," Ben said.

"Well, you look pretty dapper yourself, Mr. Cheney."

"Why thank you, Bells. I must say, that you look stunning as well and that I was more than surprised to find out that you were going to be attending. I hope you made sure to bring some personal injury waiver forms for your dance partners to sign."

"Oh ha, ha. Aren't you funny?"

"I am," he said with a grin.

I had a feeling Ben would get along famously with Emmett once they got to know each other better. And then I shuddered at that thought. One Emmett was bad enough, but two Emmetts. Lord help us all. Ben told us he was going to get some drinks and asked us if we wanted anything. Angela and I both declined and sat down, watching our fellow peers start to dance. Rose and Emmett were on the dance floor, grinding away, while it should have looked trashy, they made it look good. Wish my body moved that way. Ben came back, and just then a slow song came on. He took Angela out on the floor and there I sat, at our table, all by myself. So embarrassing.

"Excuse me, Bella. Do you want to dance?"

I looked up and saw Eric Yorkie standing near my chair. Dare I risk injuring him on the dance floor, or sit here by myself all night. I quickly made up my mind.

"Sure, that'd be nice. But to be fair, I should warn you that I'll probably stomp all over your feet."

"No biggie. I'm sure I'll survive." And he did.

We danced to a couple of songs, and then I went back to my table. Pretty soon, Emmett came bopping over to me.

"Ready for that dance, Your Royal Klutzyness?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"You know, you could show a little bit more enthusiasm. This is **me** you're dancing with!"

"You're right. Oh, Mr. McCarty, I would be honored to be graced with your awesomeness upon the dance floor," I said, giggling.

"That's more like it! Now let's get out there and bust a move."

"More like I'll be busting your toes."

Surprisingly, there was no toe busting. Emmett was a crazy dancer and made me feel less self-conscious about being on the dance floor. And I had a great time. He was so much fun to hang out with. Before long, the seven of us were busting our groove on the dance floor, laughing our heads off. Eventually, I had to take a break and went to grab some punch. Hopefully no one had spiked it. I had just ladled up some punch and put it into my cup, when I heard Edward's voice.

"Hi, Bella," he said quietly.

"Edward."

"Look, I know it's not the best time, but I really need to talk to you."

I let out a sigh. "Can't it wait? I came here to have a good time."

I saw his jaw clench. "Fine. Do you think you can find time to talk to me sometime this weekend?"

"Yeah. I'll let you know."

"Great," he said, in a voice full of sarcasm. Then he stalked off toward the other side of the gym.

Stupid jerk! I was having a great time, and he had to go and put a damper on things. No. You know what. I'm not going to let that jerk ruin my evening. I started my walk back to the table, empty handed, having decided I didn't want that drink after all, when someone walked into me and grabbed my arm. A sense of deja vu came over me. I'm sure I've had this experience before.

"We need to talk, Swan," came the demanding voice of Victoria.

Well, fuck. There went my night.

* * *

A/N: Let me know what you thought! Fic rec of the week: Faithfully by LailaB.


	12. For A Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own a new TV so that makes me happy.

A/N: I'm so blown away by all the reviews I receive. Thank you so very much for taking the time to review. I know I've got a few lurkers out there, so if you like the story or if you hate it, just drop me a line and let me know. I, myself, am bad about reviewing stories as well, but I'm getting better. A big thanks to the best beta in the world, Chylex28. BTW, if anyone's interested, I've started a blog for this story. You can check it out at tardis19 (dot) blogspot (dot) com.

* * *

I never wanted to say this  
You never wanted to stay  
I put my faith in you, so much faith  
And then you just threw it away  
You threw it away

You were finished long before  
We had even seen the start  
Why don't you stand up, be a man about it?  
Fight with your bare hands about it now

~**For A Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic~ Paramore**

* * *

Surviving High School

I steeled myself, as I turned to face Victoria, and noticed that she was surrounded by her band of brainless wonders. The fact that she was approaching me at a dance with all of these witnesses, led me to believe that she was up to no good.

"What do you want, Victoria?"

She took a deep breath, and said in a loud trembling voice that carried around us, "I want you to stop picking on me! I don't understand why you're being so mean to me!"

Ah. So that's how she was going to play it. Get herself all worked up and accuse me of horrible things in front of everyone. Well played, Bitchtoria. Well played. But I was through dealing with her and bullshit. It was high time I grew a pair and had it out with her. And if that meant I had to duke it out with her in front of a ton of people at a dance, then so be it.

Giving her a scathing look, I replied, "Really, Victoria? Really? You're gonna play the injured party? You've made it known since the beginning of the school year, that you can't stand me. You've threatened me time and time again, and I've done nothing to you."

By now, a small crowd had gathered and was hovering near the drink station. Realizing that she had an audience, Victoria upped her performance.

"Bella, I just don't understand why you hate me so much. All I wanted was for us to be friends," she began, as a tear trickled down her cheek.

You've got to be fucking kidding me. I raised my voice a bit louder, to ensure that everyone hovering near by could hear me.

"Cut the act, Victoria, you're not fooling anyone, but just in case, let me clear a few things up. A few weeks ago, I accidentally ran into Edward. Anyone who knows me, knows I can't walk without tripping over something." I heard a few snickers from people after I said that.

"Victoria, here, got all territorial and has since then, proceeded to threaten me every chance she gets. She, for reasons unknown, believes that I'm a threat to her, and is doing everything she can to make my life miserable. If you don't believe me, that's fine, but I've got witnesses who have seen and heard her threatening me. So believe what you will."

Victoria looked around and saw several people who appeared to be agreeing with me, and she shot them all dirty looks. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her voice a bit more.

"You're such a liar, Isabella. I highly doubt anyone's going to buy your story. I just wanted to get to know you better, and all you wanted to do was steal Edward from me. That's why you've been going around calling me names and threatening to hurt me."

I seriously hoped no one was buying into this bullshit, but the students of Forks High weren't exactly brilliant. I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and was getting ready to continue my attack, when Rose stepped up beside me.

"Oh cut the crap, Victoria! Every word coming out of your mouth is a fucking lie! You and I both know it. Your girls know it. How many times did we have to listen to you bitch about Bella? How many times did we have to listen to you go on and on about how you were going to ruin her because she dared to talk to your man?"

Victoria stood there looking stunned, as did several other people near us. Nobody thought that Rosalie Hale would side with me. Especially, not Victoria.

"What the fuck are you doing, Rosalie?" Victoria asked her in a cold voice.

"Telling the truth. While Bella and I aren't exactly friends, I'm sick and fucking tired of listening to you bitch about her. Get the fuck over it already! So what if she talks to Edward? They're friends. Something you know nothing about."

Victoria gave Rose a glare that was supposed to intimidate her, but come on, this was Rose. Rose didn't intimidate easily.

"You're overstepping your boundaries, Rosalie. You might want to watch yourself."

Rose just raised an eyebrow and took a menacing step towards Victoria.

"Oh, so now you're going to threaten **me**? I don't think that would be wise, Victoria. You have no idea what I'm capable of. Believe me when I tell you, that your reign as queen over this school, has come to an end."

Rose then turned her back to Victoria and looked at me.

"C'mon, Bella. Let's go have some fun while we still can. No way in hell, I'm gonna let that bitch ruin my evening."

The look on Bitchtoria's face as we walked by her on our way back to our table was priceless. She stood there, with her mouth hanging open, as if she couldn't believe that anyone would dare cross her. Probably because no one ever had before. Boy, was I glad that Rose was on my side.

"Thanks, Rose."

"Like I've told you before, Bella. This was a completely selfish act. I want her gone, and if it helps you out along the way, that's fine with me."

"Still, I appreciate it."

We got back to our table and Angela wrapped her arms around me.

"So, how terrifying was that?" she asked me.

I held up my hands and showed her how badly they were trembling. I don't deal well with confrontation, but sometimes, it has to be done.

"I was terrified, but I was even more pissed off. Stupid bitch. I'm immensely glad that Rose was there to jump in."

"Well, now that Edward knows all about Victoria, maybe he'll come around," she said.

Jasper leaned over as Angela said that and replied, "Yeah. He managed to miss the whole thing."

"What?" I asked.

"I was talking to him on my way back from the bathroom, when he got a phone call and he went outside so he could talk."

Figures. The one time I get the nerve to confront Victoria, and Rose outs her, he isn't around to hear or see it. I wasn't going to dwell on it though. With the way people gossip in this school, he'll hear all about it by the end of the night. Putting all thoughts of Victoria and Edward out of my mind, I spent the rest of the night enjoying the dance. By the time the dance was over, my feet were killing me and my cheeks were hurting from smiling and laughing so much. I'd almost forgotten that I was spending the night with Alice, until she asked Rose if she wanted to join us.

"Thanks for the invite, Alice, but I'm wanting to spend some time with my man."

I shuddered at the images that assaulted my brain. Not that Rose and Emmett weren't a cute couple, but still. Ugh! Emmett dropped us off at the Cullen house, and I climbed out first, giving Alice and Jasper a chance to say goodnight. A few minutes later, Alice joined me and we walked into the Cullen house.

"Hello, ladies," Dr. Cullen's voice said from the living room.

We walked into the room and found Dr. and Mrs. Cullen sitting on the couch, watching a movie.

"Did you have a good time?" Mrs. Cullen inquired.

"Yes," I replied.

"Totally awesome time. Although, Victoria tried to put a damper on our evening," Alice said.

I hissed at Alice, not wanting to speak ill of Edward's girlfriend in front of his parents.

"Oh well, Victoria is something else. I'm glad you didn't let her ruin your evening" Mrs. Cullen said.

Wow. Even Mrs. Cullen wasn't fond of Victoria. That made me feel better. You'd think that would be a hint that your girlfriend was a major bitch, if even your mother didn't like her. After talking a bit longer with Dr. Hot and Mrs. Cullen, we headed upstairs to change out of our dresses and get comfy. Twenty minutes later, with our faces freshly scrubbed, we were laying on Alice's bed in our pj's, watching a movie and eating ice cream.

"So, Bella," she began.

"So, Alice."

"Edward looked quite good tonight, didn't he?"

"I didn't notice."

She shot me a look, calling me out for the liar that I was. "Sure, you didn't, Bella. I noticed that he couldn't take his eyes off of you earlier tonight."

"I think that's cause he was shocked to see me here. Not because I looked good."

"You did look good," she agreed.

We spent the rest of the night watching silly movies, gossiping, and pigging out on junk food. It was times like these, that made me glad to have good friends.

I woke up around three in the morning, completely disoriented. I'd been having a bizarre dream where I'd been running around the desert, and now I was thirsty. As quietly as possible, I crawled out of Alice's bed and headed toward her bedroom door. I hoped the Cullens wouldn't think it rude, if I got something to drink from their fridge at three in the morning. Cautiously, I made my way down their stairs, only stubbing my toe once, and crept into their kitchen. There was a light on above the stove that illuminated my way to their fridge. I tried to remember where they kept their glasses, but ended up opening several cupboards, till I found the right one. I had just poured myself a glass of juice, when I heard footsteps come into the room. I looked up, expecting to see one the Cullen parents, but instead found myself face to face with a shirtless, disheveled looking Edward. Holy hell! Dude was so freaking hot! And here I stood, in my old pjs with bedhead. Fabulous.

He ran a hand through his all ready messy hair and gave me a puzzled look.

"What are you doing here?"

"Getting something to drink."

"No, I mean why are you in my kitchen at 3 in the morning?"

"Because I was thirsty and figured the kitchen would be a good place to get something to drink."

He gave me an exasperated look and said, "No, Bella. I mean why are you at my house at this early of an hour?"

"Oh. Alice invited me to spend the night after the dance. So here I am."

I heard him mumble something under his breath, but couldn't make it out. He reached into the cabinet above me to grab a glass, then poured himself some juice.

"Since we're both here, can we have that talk?" he asked.

Ugh! Seriously? He wants to duke it out at 3 a.m.? Guess I can't avoid it forever.

"Sure. Let's have that talk. Go ahead."

He sat down at one of the stools next to the island and started rolling his glass between his hands.

"Um...well...I really am sorry for acting like an ass. I just," he let out a long sigh. "I just got so angry because I thought we were friends and then you went and lied to me. I don't like being lied to."

While he was talking, I sat down on a stool opposite of him and listened to what he had to say.

"That's just it though, Edward. Like I told you in Biology, I never once lied to you. Not once! I've never spread lies about Victoria, I've never threatened her. That's not who I am and if you were my friend you would have realized that."

"What the hell am I supposed to believe?" he shouted at me. "You sit here and claim that you're innocent, and I've got Victoria telling me that you verbally attacked her and threatened her!"

"The only time I've ever verbally attacked Victoria was last night at the dance, and that was after she started shit with me. I'm fucking tired of it, Edward! I'm sick and tired of being bullied by her and it stops now! I won't sit back and take whatever crap she decided to throw at me anymore. The fact that not only your sister, but your friends have my back should tell you something. The fact that Rose has been present when Victoria was plotting my demise, the fact that Angela has been witness to Victoria's tirades against me, should be all the proof you fucking need!"

He sat there with his hands in his hair looking so adorably confused. "I'm so fucking confused," he whispered. "I don't know what or who to believe anymore. I feel like I'm being pulled in two different directions. My girlfriend of two years tells me that you're this horrible person, then I have you telling me she's a horrible person. I can't do this. I just can't."

I didn't know what to say. It was obvious that he was upset and confused and that he needed to mull things over. I could feel my anger toward him, lessening. I still felt so betrayed by him and his actions, but I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in his shoes. I reached out and tentatively put my hand on his arm.

"I don't know what to say about everything else, Edward, but I will tell you that I was extremely hurt by your actions towards me. I had really thought that we were friends or going to be friends, at any rate. Then with no warning at all, you turned around and treated me like shit. You could have at least had the decency to talk to me and find out if what Victoria had said was true or not, but you choose not to. I realize that the two of you have been together for a long time and you really had no reason to question her word, but the fact that you were so willing to believe bad things about me, upsets me. It's going to be a while before I can forgive you for that."

He nodded his head. "I think that I need to take a step back and think things through. I know that Victoria can be a real bitch at times, but I don't want to think that she'd be so mean as to lie about you. I just...I need space. Away from both of you. I want to believe you, Bella. I really do. But, I also want to believe Victoria. I am sorry, Bella. More than you know."

He then got up, emptied his glass in the sin,k and headed back upstairs. I sat there at the island and thought about our conversation. It had actually gone better than I'd expected, and I felt like I knew a bit more where he was coming from. Not that that excused his behavior, but maybe now he'd begin to see what Bitchtoria really was. Feeling a bit better after our talk, I headed back to Alice's room.

* * *

"You seem a bit cheerful this morning," Alice said to me, as we sat at the table eating breakfast.

"A bit."

"Want to tell me why?"

"Edward and I had a talk this morning."

"What? When? What did he say? Did he apologize?" she fired off.

"Calm down, Alice. I came down around three this morning for some juice and he came down. Yes, he apologized for his behavior, although I still haven't forgiven him. It's gonna take time for that. But he did explain that he was feeling very confused, like he was being pulled in two directions. He said that he wanted to believe me, but that he also wanted to believe Victoria."

"Hmmm," was her response.

"What does that mean?"

"It means, I'm thinking. I'm trying to find a way to get him to talk to me about what he's feeling, and see if I can't enlighten him a bit."

"Good luck. He did tell me that he need space away from me and **her**."

She looked up, startled. "He's breaking up with her?"

"What? I have no idea. He just said he needed space away from both of us."

We finished breakfast and sat around, trying to figure out what to do with our day. Half way through our discussion, Rose called and invited us to hang out at First Beach with her and Emmett. I gave Angela a call to make sure it was cool with her, while Alice called Jasper. Once everyone was in agreement, we made plans to meet around noon. Alice and I packed a picnic basket with plenty of food and then headed out to go pick up Angela.

"Hey, Angela," I said, as she squeezed into the yellow death trap.

"Hey, Bella! Hey, Alice! How are you guys?"

"Doing good. Bella made some headway with Edward this morning."

"Well, I don't know if you could say I made headway, but we did talk a bit."

"Well, what did he have to say?" Angela asked me.

"Well he apologized for being an ass and then told me how confused he was by everything and that he needed to think about things."

"Told you he was confused," she said.

"Thank you, Oh Wise One."

"So, why are we going to First Beach?" Angela asked Alice.

"Apparently, Emmett has a running football game with some of the kids on the rez. Rose didn't want to have to sit there by herself, so she invited us."

Once we got to First Beach, we pulled in next to the Hummer and climbed out. It was freezing, and I was glad that Alice had grabbed some blankets to bring with. I grabbed the picnic basket and we made our way toward the beach, where we spotted Rose sitting on a piece of driftwood.

"Hey, Rose!" Alice called out, as we approached her.

Soon, the four of us were huddled under some blankets, eating sandwiches and watching Emmett and some of the rez kids play football. Jasper arrived a few minutes after we did, and after a quick kiss for Alice, he headed toward Emmett, intent on joining the game. We watched the boys play, and I have to admit, it was hot. Halfway through their game, they all started pulling off their shirts, and it was a sight to behold. Eventually, the game came to an end.

"Hey, Bells!" came a voice to my right. I looked up and saw Jake jogging over towards us.

"Jake! What are you doing out here?" I asked him after giving him a quick hug.

"Playing ball with these guys. What are you doing out here?"he asked me.

"Rose and Emmett invited me out to watch the game."

"Never pictured you hanging out with Emmett and the ice queen."

I smiled at his description of Rose. "Emmett and I are friends. Rose and I are...uh...friendly."

Emmett bounded over to us and threw an arm around my shoulder. "Fumbling, Bumbling Bella! Glad to see you could make it! Did you enjoy watching me crush some skulls?"

"I live to watch you crush skulls. By the way, Alice and I brought lunch, if you're interested."

"Yes!" he yelled, fist punching the air. "I love food!"

Jake and I caught each others eye and busted out laughing. Emmett was so much fun. Soon, we were all seated and eating lunch, listening to Emmett, Jake, and some other boys from the rez arguing about some football game.

"So, Jake. How do you know Bumbling Bumbalina?" Emmett asked him, pointing at me.

"Bumbling Bumbalina huh? That totally fits," he said. I stuck my tongue out at him. Jerk.

"My dad and Bells' dad are best friends. We hung out a lot when we were little. Our dads used to take us fishing, but after Bells fell out of the boat a few too many times, they gave up."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, Jake. Lay the blame on me. You pushed me out of the boat half the time."

"That's cause you squealed like a girl every time you had to bait the hook."

"Of course I squealed like a girl. I am one!"

All too soon, the sun was starting to set. We gathered up all of our stuff and headed back to Forks. I'd had the foresight to bring my overnight bag with, so Alice dropped me off at home.

"I'll call you later," she hollered at me, as she pulled out of my drive. I gave her a wave and headed inside.

"Hey, Dad."

Charlie poked his head around the corner of the kitchen, and I noticed that he had a slightly guilty look on his face.

"Oh. Hey, Bells. I...uh...didn't realize that you'd be home so soon."

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "It's after five. Are you feeling okay?"

"Uh...yep."

I was starting to freak out a bit. Charlie was acting very odd.

"How about if I make us some dinner?" I asked, heading towards him.

"No! No, that's okay. I can make dinner."

Huh? Charlie offering to make dinner? Something was definitely going on.

"What's got you acting so weird, Dad?"

"Weird. I'm not acting weird," he said, all the while his face was looking more and more flushed.

"Oh, Charlie. You're not fooling anyone," a female voice said from kitchen.

Oh. My. God. Charlie had a woman over! I didn't know whether to applaud him or be appalled.

"Hi, Bella," Sue Clearwater said, as she came out of the kitchen. Sue was the widow of one of Charlie's good friends who had died five years earlier. She was a really nice lady, who had a couple of kids that were around my age.

"Hey, Sue."

Well, it was a bit awkward, as we all just kinda stood there, outside the kitchen looking everywhere but at each other.

"So..." I began.

"Um...Sue and I are dating," Charlie blurted out.

"Okay."

He rubbed his hand on his neck. "Are you okay with this?"

"Why wouldn't I be? If Sue makes you happy, that's great."

Sue gave Charlie a look. "See. I told you, you were worrying over nothing. I wanted to tell you weeks ago, but Charlie was afraid that you'd freak out."

"Well, it is a bit weird to think about my dad dating, but I'm totally fine with it."

And I truly was. Renee had left when I was ten, claiming that small town life was suffocating her. Charlie had been devastated. I was worried that he'd be alone forever. I was glad to know that he now had Sue.

"So, do your kids know about you and Charlie?" I asked Sue later on that evening, as we ate dinner.

"Yes. I told them. Seth is fine with it. Leah...well, she's in a rough place right now and isn't too happy about it."

I tried to remember how old they were, but couldn't.

"How old are they?"

"Seth is fourteen, although he looks a lot older. Leah is eighteen and a handful. It's been years since all of you hung out, but I'd like, if at some point, we could all have a family dinner."

"Sure. I've got no problem with it," I told her.

Once dinner was done, and the dishes washed, I headed upstairs to give Sue and Charlie some privacy. I may be cool with them dating, but I sure as hell don't want to see the love. I sat down to do some homework (cause I'm cool like that, doing homework on a Saturday night) when I realized that I hadn't Facebooked in over a day. Yes, I'm well aware that I have a Facebook addiction. Thank you. I waited impatiently for my computer to boot up. I was in such a hurry to log in, that I mistyped my password twice. Finally it came up. I quickly scanned through to see what I'd missed.

Alice tagged me in the photos her mom had taken of us last night, Ben and Angela were going out on a date, Emmett was attempting to eat a burger the size of his head, and Edward was going AWOL for a while. I decided to update my status before heading to my games. **Bella Swan** _runs with scissors. _After updating my status, I logged into Cityville and noticed my crops had withered. Figures. I spent the next twenty minutes re-arranging my city and noticed that some people had commented on my post.

**Ben Cheney** _seeing as how often you trip over thin air, perhaps running with scissors isn't the __best of ideas._

**Emmett McCarty** _first cliff diving and now running with scissors. you are one wild woman_

I giggled after reading their comments. Those two were crazy, and more alike than I cared for. One of these days, they were going to realize that they were soul mates and all hell would break loose on earth.

* * *

Why is it that the weekend always goes by so quickly, while the week just drags? Monday arrived before I was ready and I wasn't looking forward to it. I'm sure by now, the whole school knew about my confrontation with Bitchtoria. Oh well. I arrived at school right as the warning bell rang, so I had to make a run for it. Now we all know that me, plus running, equals disaster. Today was no different. I made a beeline for my locker, when I slid on the floor and smashed my head into the lockers. Holy motherfucker! That hurt! I laid there on the floor, a bit dazed.

"Oh Jesus! Bella, are you okay?" a southern voice asked me, as he slowly pulled me into a sitting position. So much for no one noticing.

I carefully opened my eyes, and found Jasper staring at me in concern.

"I'll be fine. I think. My head hurts like hell though."

I felt Jasper reach out and gently probe the spot I had hit the locker with.

"Well, Darlin, you're not bleeding, so that's good. You're gonna have one hell of a headache though. Do you want to go to the nurse?"

"Not really, but I probably should. At least this way, I'll get a note excusing my tardiness to class."

"I'll come with you," he said, reaching a hand out and pulling me up.

"You don't have to do that, Jasper."

"I don't mind at all. Not like I really wanted to go to homeroom anyway," he said with a wink.

I gave him a smile and we headed towards the nurse's office. After getting an ice pack and some Tylenol, I was given a clean bill of health and released out into the wild. Thankfully, there were no more head injury incidents for the rest of the morning. One good thing about getting a head injury, is that it got me out of gym, so it was almost worth it. As I walked into the cafeteria, I noticed two things. First, that Rose looked more smug than usual, which had me slightly worried. Secondly, Victoria looked angrier than normal, and her usual band of morons seemed to have diminished in size. Hmmm...curiouser and curiouser. I got into line, grabbed the first sandwich I came upon, and hurried over to my new table.

"Hey, Bella," Rose said as I sat down.

"Hey, Rose. You seem in a good mood."

The smile she flashed, scared me. It was the smile of someone who had committed some nefarious deed.

"Indeed I am," she said, but didn't elaborate, and I didn't ask. Somethings you're better off not knowing.

"What did you do to your head, Bella?" Ben asked me, after he sat down.

"I was running late today, so I ran to my locker and slipped, smashing my head into the lockers."

Emmett let out a loud guffaw at that and I shot him a dirty look.

"Now, now, Wild Woman, don't look at me like that. You know I love you."

I rolled my eyes at him. Stupid jerk.

"Well, it's a good thing you weren't running with scissors," Ben said, setting Emmett off again. Once he calmed down, he explained my Facebook status to the others and why he thought what Ben said was so funny.

"Ben, my man, you are one funny dude."

Oh no! It was starting. Pretty soon, they'd be joined at the hip. After that, world domination.

All too soon, lunch was over and Alice, Angela, and I headed to Biology. I noticed Edward was sitting at our table and made my way over. I sat down, got my notebook out of my bag, and started to doodle, while waiting for Mr. Banner to start class.

"Hello, Bella."

I looked up from my craptastic art doodle.

"Hello, Edward."

He gave me a small, tentative smile and then Mr. Banner started class. We were almost done with the pig dissection, and boy, was I ready for it to be over. At least today, Edward and I were working in peaceful quiet, instead of hateful silence. We didn't really talk much, except to point out something to one another regarding our assignment. But I was okay with that. I took a moment to really look at him, and noticed that he looked tired. He had bags under his beautiful eyes, and they looked sad. I could feel my resolve to not forgive him, slowly crumpling. No, Bella. You have to stay strong! Do not forgive him so easily, I told myself, but it was hard. He looked so torn up.

By the time the school day was over, I was ready to head home. I had a killer headache, and just wanted to go home and lie down. I said goodbye to Angela and Ben and made my way to Chuck, at the far end of the parking lot.

"You fucking bitch!" a voice behind me shouted.

FML. I didn't want to do this now. Okay, I didn't want to do this at all, but particularly not when I had a major headache.

"What now, Victoria?" I asked in a tired voice, as I turned to see her stomping across the parking lot.

"This is all your fucking fault!" she screeched at me loudly, drawing a crowd. I could see people stopping what they were doing to watch the drama unfold. Good lord, my life had more drama than a soap opera lately, and I was sick of it.

"What's my fault?" I asked, edging closer to Chuck and keeping my keys out in case I had to stab Victoria in the eye to make my escape.

"Oh, don't act like you don't know! I don't know what you said to him, but if you think he's going to dump me and go for you, you're so wrong!"

"Wait. What?"

By now she was up in my face. Her eyes had a frantic, wild look to them and I was slightly worried for my safety.

"Edward wants to take a break. From me! I know this is all your doing! What the fuck did you say to him?" she spat at me.

"The truth. Hurts doesn't it?" Wow. I don't know where Bitchella came from, but she was free to stay around while dealing with Bitchtoria.

"Don't act so fucking smug, bitch. Eddie might be taking a break from me, but he **will** come back to me. They always do. Don't think for one minute that you've won."

"Oh, but I have. Obviously, there's a reason he's taking a break from you. Maybe he's finally realized what a fucking bitch you are!" I shot back at her.

I could have sworn her eyes glowed red and from the corner of my eye I saw her hand come up. Oh, hell no! That bitch better not be thinking of smacking me. Just as her hand swung forward, it was grabbed by someone and a voice growled out, "Don't even think about it, Victoria."

* * *

A/N: Leave me some love and let me know what you thought! Fic Rec of the week: Bedtime Story by love-tart.


	13. Troubled Soul

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter either.

A/N: Well, well. I leave you a cliffie and everyone comes out of the woodwork. Once again, thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Chylex28, thanks for your honesty and hard work. On with the story.

* * *

Oh the sun may shine through your window on a summer's day  
Doesn't change your heavy heart skips a beat each day  
You get a temporary high as you watch life pass you by  
Every single day you want to cry  
Can we wish the tears a fond goodbye

Aching heart, troubled soul  
I wanna tell you something wanted you to know  
Look at these eyes, look at this smile  
They're gonna stay around here, for a while

~Troubled Soul~ Amy MacDonald

* * *

Surviving High School

_Just as her hand swung forward, it was grabbed by someone, and a voice growled out, "Don't even think about it, Victoria."_

I heard the growling voice of Emmett, behind Victoria, and the look on his face was one I'd never seen. His eyes had gone cold and anger was etched onto his face. Full of hatred for the Queen Bitch. I'd never seen Emmett like this before. Gone was the happy go lucky guy, replaced with the don't fuck with me or mine guy. Not that I was complaining. At that moment, I was very happy to have an angry Emmett on my side.

Victoria spun around when he grabbed her arm, startled that anyone dared to interrupt her. She attempted to yank her arm out of his grasp, but he wasn't letting go.

"This doesn't concern you, McCarty," she hissed at him.

"Wrong, Victoria. It **does** concern me. You're threatening my friend, and I don't take kindly to that."

"Back off, McCarty! You don't want to fuck with me!" she shouted at him.

"Oh, you've got that right. God only knows what kind of nasty diseases you have," he said, all the while tightening his grip on her arm. He then leaned in. "Stay the fuck away from Bella. If you choose not to, you're going to have more than Rose to worry about."

He let go of her, folded his arms across his massive chest, and stared her down. She continued to stare right back at him, but quickly realized that she wasn't going to win this battle. I don't know what she was thinking, but did she honestly believe she could take on both Rose and Emmett? She gave me one final glare, and stomped off while the crowd around us applauded Emmett. As I watched her stalk off, I let out a breath I hadn't realized that I'd been holding. Emmett leaned against Chuck and wrapped an arm around me.

"You okay, Champ?" he asked.

"Sure. I'll be fine once my heart stops pounding. I can't believe that bitch almost hit me! Thank you for being here, Emmett."

"Anytime. Can't have my little sister getting smacked by a hobag now can I?"

I shook my head and gave him a hug. He hugged me back and then pulled away as our friends approached us.

"Geez, Bells. First you go after Edward, now you're hugging all over Emmett. Should I be worried that you're gonna come after me next?" Ben asked jokingly.

"Nah. You're safe, Ben. Your girlfriend isn't nearly scary enough for me," I said, pinching his cheek. "Plus, you're not that cute."

He shot me a wounded look and clutched a hand over his chest. A move that I'd seen Emmett do before. They really were too much alike.

"That hurt, Bells. Really hurt. I don't think we can be friends anymore."

I rolled my eyes at him. He was such a nerd. Just then, Rose sidled up to me.

"Well, it looks like Victoria's facade is starting to slip," Rose said. "She's letting the whole world see who she truly is now."

"Yeah. Maybe Edward will finally start to realize that I've been telling the truth about her this whole time," I told Rose.

"We can only hope. If not, I may have to take drastic measures and beat the truth into him."

I snorted at that. It made a great mental picture. Rose wailing on Edward, while he was on the ground, pleading for mercy. Hell, even if he did get his head out of his ass, I might still let her beat him up, just for the fun of it. After reassuring everyone I was fine, I got into Chuck and headed home.

I was a bit surprised to see Charlie's car in the driveway when I got home from school. Usually Charlie stayed at the station till after seven. Something was up.

"Hey, Dad!" I called out as I entered.

Charlie came down the stairs, looking all spiffy. His hair was combed to the side, he was wearing aftershave, and had on an extremely ugly tie.

"Hot date?" I asked, smirking a bit.

"We're having dinner with Sue and her kids tonight."

"Oh." I certainly hadn't expected that.

"Well don't just stand there. Get changed," he said, ushering me toward the stairs.

"Dad, you do realize it's only 3:30 right?"

His face fell a bit as he looked as his watch.

"Huh. Thought it was later. Well, we're going to all meet at Applebee's in Port Angeles at around six."

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna go try to get some homework done and then I'll get changed. I don't have to wear a dress, do I? Cause, I've used up my dress wearing quota for the month."

Charlie gave me a smirk. "No, you don't have to wear a dress, but do wear something nice."

I trudged upstairs and deposited my bag on my bed. I wasn't sure how to feel about dinner tonight. It almost felt like I was being pushed to meet her kids. I mean, I just found out Charlie and Sue were dating, and now I was expected to go out to dinner with them? For some reason, I had a bad feeling about tonight, but I shook it off. Maybe I was just nervous about meeting her kids again, after so long.

I set about trying to do my homework, but kept getting distracted. I eventually gave up and turned my computer on. Before long, my Facebook was up and running. Not a second later, my chat popped up.

**Emmett McCarty:** Bellllllllllllaaaaaaaa! come play farmville with me!

**Bella Swan:** Never!

I had no desire to be a farmer, virtual, or otherwise.

**Emmett McCarty:** pllllleeeaaaseeeeee! im just gonna keep whining and annoying you till you give in

And he would too. Rose had befriended me a few days ago, and I noticed that her chat was on, so I sent her a message telling her to tell Emmett to leave me alone. The message I got back was not encouraging.

**Rosalie Hale:** sorry bella. you're on your own. he'll just keep hounding you till you give in. just make a stupid farm and dont play it. that'll satisfy him for now

Hmmph.

**Bella Swan:** fine! ill make a stupid farm, but i refuse to play it!

**Emmett McCarty:** you say that now, but just wait.

**Bella Swan:** whatever. ill set up the stupid farm now, and then i dont want to hear another word about it from you

I, grudgingly, set up my stupid farm on Farmville, planted some stupid crops and promptly moved on to another game. Before I knew it, Charlie was telling me to hurry up and change so we could leave for the restaurant. Fabulous. I quickly changed into a pair of khaki pants, a blue sweater, and then threw my hair up into a messy bun. Eh, it was good enough.

"Bells! Let's get going!" Charlie yelled up the stairs.

"Coming, Dad!"

I made my way down the stairs and grimaced as we got in the cruiser to head to Port Angeles. Even though I always sat in the front, I still felt like a criminal. I didn't understand why Charlie couldn't have a regular car as well as the cruiser. Or why we couldn't have taken Chuck. The ride to Port Angeles was quiet, with the exception of the police scanner going off once in a while. Finally we arrived at the Applebee's and got out of the car. Sue was waiting for us, near the entrance with her kids. I vaguely remembered them, and was a bit nervous, but was set at ease when Seth reached over and gave me a friendly hug. He was a good looking kid. Really tall, with a smile that was infectious. Sue's daughter, on the other hand, was a complete bitch. She refused to shake Charlie's hand when he held it out to her. Sue pulled her aside and said a few words to her, but all that seemed to do, was deepen her scowl.

Seth and I shared a tentative smile as we headed inside and waited to be seated. As we were waiting around for a booth to open up, I heard someone call my name.

"Bella!"

I turned and saw Jessica coming toward me.

"Hey, Jess," I said, as she approached me.

"What brings you here?" she asked me.

"Family dinner," I replied, while hitching my thumb toward Charlie.

"Same here. Mom wants some mother-daughter bonding time."

"Fun."

"Yeah. So, what went down this afternoon in the parking lot?" she asked.

I gave her a glare and made hand motions to indicate for her to shut up. She caught on and told me she had to get back to her table and we'd talk tomorrow. I let out a sigh as she walked away. Jess was not known for being discreet.

"What happened in the parking lot today?" Charlie asked me, as we were being seated.

Fuck! I so did not want to discuss this, especially at a table with strangers.

"It was nothing. Just a misunderstanding with another student," I told him, hoping he'd drop it.

Thankfully, he did. The next hour was what I would call, awkwardly awkward. Seth and I managed to make small talk, while Charlie and Sue did their best to engage Leah in conversation. She refused to cooperate. Eventually, she got up to use the bathroom and I decided I might as well go too. Since I'd managed to grow some balls since my encounter with Victoria, I thought I might as well use them. After using the restroom, I approached the sink to wash my hands, standing next to Leah.

"So, what's your problem?" I asked her.

She turned and gave me a scathing look.

"This is bullshit! Your dad needs to stay the fuck away from my mom!" she yelled at me, before storming out.

That went well, I thought to myself, before following her out. I made my way back to our table and Seth gave me a small smile as I sat down, as did Sue. Guess it was kind of obvious that I attempted to talk to Leah. I was all too glad when dinner ended. We said goodbye to the Clearwaters and got back in the cruiser to head home.

"So...," Charlie began, "That went rather well."

Was he kidding me? I shot him an incredulous look.

"Yeah, sure it did."

"It did! I actually thought it would be worse. Sue told me that Leah's made it known that she doesn't want Sue dating anyone."

"I guess it could've been worse."

"So, do you want to tell me what really happened after school today?"

Crap. I was hoping he'd just let it go. Apparently not.

"It's like I told you at the restaurant. I had a misunderstanding with another student. That's all."

"I'm not stupid, Bella. I know that something has been going on. Cliff diving, dancing, hanging out with different kids."

He tore his gaze from the road to look at me.

"It's a boy isn't it?"

Oh God, just shoot me now.

"What?" I sputtered. "This has nothing to do with a boy." Oh, I'm such a liar.

"Well, then what does it have to do with?"

"There's a girl at school who doesn't like me, so she was picking on me, but it's stopped now," I quickly added, hoping that was true.

"Hmmph. Who is she?"

Aw, man. Charlie was in full cop mode now.

"Uh...I'd rather not say."

"Isabella Marie Swan! I want an answer, and I want it now!" Charlie demanded.

"Victoria Laurent," I mumbled.

"The guidance counselor's daughter?"

I nodded.

"Hmmph. Perhaps I need to have a talk with him about his daughter. He needs to know that she's going around terrorizing other students."

"No, Dad!" I shouted at him. "Don't do that. Please, don't do that. That would only makes things worse. Besides, I'm pretty sure she'll be leaving me alone after today."

"Why is that?"

"Uh, cause my friend Emmett pretty much told her to back off, or else."

"Emmett. Who's Emmett?"

Great. Now he was in interrogation mode.

"Emmett McCarty."

Charlie frowned at the name.

"Football player? Big guy? The one I arrested for streaking down Main Street?"

"Uh...I don't know about the streaking thing, but yeah. He's a big football player."

"Are you dating him?"

"What? No. No. He's got a girlfriend. Rosalie Hale. He's just my friend. He looks out for me, that's all."

Please God, let this conversation end soon.

"Okay. But if you were dating someone, you would tell me, right?"

"Uh...yeah?" I answered.

"You'd better."

"Well, you don't have to worry. I'm single."

The minute Charlie parked the cruiser, I flew out of it, unlocked the door and made my way upstairs. I'm sure my face was on fire from his stupid inquisition. Sometimes, Charlie could be such a dad. Ugh!

Tuesday morning, I pulled into the school parking lot, wondering what the day was going to bring. I'm sure the whole school was buzzing over what had gone down in the parking lot yesterday, as well as Victoria and Edward's "break." I admit, I was a bit curious as to what was being said. As I grabbed my bag from the front seat, I saw Emmett and Rose waiting for me.

"Morning, Bella," Rose said.

"Morning, Rose. Hi Emmett."

"Hey, hey Wonder Woman. You ready to face the masses?" he asked me.

"Ready as I'll ever be. Should be interesting."

"Oh, Emmett, I have a question for you," I said as we started walking.

"What's that, Tyson?"

"Did you get arrested for streaking down Main Street?"

Emmett stopped walking and busted out laughing.

"Oh, man! I'd forgotten about that," he said, wiping tears from his eyes.

"How do you forget getting arrested? And getting arrested for streaking, no less?" I asked, incredulously.

"It was a long time ago," he said in defense.

Rose shot him a look. "Em, it was last summer!"

He spent the rest of our walk into the building, telling me all about his exploits of last summer. I learned things about Emmett that I never wanted to know. As I walked down the main corridor, it became abundantly clear that Edward, Victoria, and I were the hot topic of gossip. All anyone was talking about, was the showdown in the parking lot yesterday afternoon.

"Hey, Swan! Is it true you beat the shit out of Victoria?" someone yelled at me down the hall.

"How long have you and Edward been having an affair?" someone else yelled.

I shook my head in answer and kept on walking. It went like that most of the morning. Fortunately, Victoria seemed to be keeping a low profile, and I wasn't accosted by her or her crowd. By the time lunch rolled around, I'd heard at least ten different versions of what had gone down. Some of them were down right ridiculous, while others were just amazing.

"So, is it true, Bella?" Jess asked me, as she sat down at our table.

"Is what true?" I asked, with a bit of dread.

"That you and Victoria got into a huge fight in the parking lot yesterday that resulted in you trying to run her over and Emmett had to slash your tires to stop you?"

Oh good God. The table busted out laughing at Jess's question.

"No. I mean yes, there was a fight. Sort of. Okay, it was more of a confrontation. But I never attempted to run her over. Kinda wish I'd thought of that."

"But, Victoria almost smacked Bella," Emmett interjected. "I stopped the evil bitch before that could happen though."

"For which I will be eternally grateful," I told him.

"Bella, I'm sorry about yesterday at the restaurant. I didn't even think before I said anything," Jess told me.

"It's okay, Jess. Although Charlie had quite a few questions for me on the way home."

"Wait. What happened?" Ben asked.

I quickly explained to the group that I had been dragged out to a family dinner with Charlie and Sue, and that Jess had let the incident in the parking lot slip.

"Oh man! The Chief is getting some!" Emmett yelled. He then began making porn music noises and spanking motions.

"Stop, Emmett! Just stop! I don't want those kind of images floating around my brain," I yelled at him, shuddering the whole time.

"Just imagine, Bells. You come home from school early one day and find the Chief and his lady friend getting busy on the kitchen table," Ben started.

"No, Ben! No!" I yelled, throwing my apple at him.

He and Emmett busted out laughing and gave each other a fist bump.

"Hell yeah, Man! You're like my brother from another mother!"

Oh no. Angela, Rose, and I all shared looks of panic. We had known this was coming, but now that the day had come, it was going to be far worse than we'd feared.

* * *

I slowly headed into Biology, wondering what was going to be waiting for me when I arrived. There was no way Edward hadn't heard what had gone down yesterday. The only thing that really worried me, was what version he had heard. I approached our table and noticed that he had his head down and seemed to be texting. I set my bag down and took my spot next to Edward.

"Hey," I said.

He looked up at me briefly and I couldn't read the expression on his face.

"Hey," he replied, before going back to texting.

Well, we were off to a great start, weren't we? I took out my notebook and started doodling, while waiting for Mr. Banner to start class. I looked up as the bell rang and noticed that we had a substitute instead. He told us that Mr. Banner was out for the day and that we were to work on our worksheets for our lab.

I peeked over at Edward, and saw that he had put his phone away and had gotten his worksheet out. I got my sheet out as well and started to randomly answer questions. I had no idea what half these questions were asking, so I was doing my best to bullshit my way through them.

"Did you need some help?" he asked me quietly, after a few minutes.

To say I was shocked, would be an understatement. I honestly didn't expect him to talk to me today since he needed "space."

"Sure. That'd be great," I told him in a hushed voice.

We worked quietly together, only discussing what was on our worksheets. Halfway through our class, Edward brought up yesterday's events.

"I, uh, heard about yesterday," he said.

"Which version? There are a few different ones floating around out there," I told him.

"Yeah. I've heard a few different ones. I'm pretty sure you didn't beat Victoria to a pulp. Did you?"

I scoffed. "I will neither confirm, nor deny, anything."

He rolled his eyes at my answer. "So, what really happened?"

I was surprised that he was actually asking. I figured by now, he'd have talked to Victoria, heard her story, and made up his mind that I was guilty.

"Victoria accosted me in the parking lot after school. She felt that you're taking a break from her was all my fault and she was going to rectify that. She was going to slap me, but thankfully Emmett stopped her. I'm not sure what I would have done had she hit me," I told him truthfully.

I sat there waiting for him to process everything I said. I waited for him to defend Victoria and accuse me of lying.

"I knew she was mad when I told her I needed to take a break, but I didn't think she'd take it out on you. I'm sorry. I know you don't believe me, but I am."

"What are you sorry about? That she came after me like she always does, or that you didn't believe me?" I asked him.

He dropped his gaze to the desk and began fiddling with his pencil.

"Both," he said so quietly, I almost didn't hear it.

"Ever since we started dating, people have been telling me that Victoria's a bitch. And sure, I've seen some of that bitchiness, but not often and never directed at any one person in particular. So when you first came to me and told me she was being mean to you, I figured that she was jealous of our friendship and that once I talked to her it would be fine. "

I snorted at that. Boy, he was stupid sometimes.

"So, I asked her to lay off of you and then she gets all teary-eyed and tells me how mean you are to her, that you're jealous of her and want to break us up. And all I could think was about the fact that we'd practically kissed and guilt started to eat me up and it made what she said easier to believe."

"That still doesn't excuse your behavior," I told him.

"I know," he said forlornly. "Alice and I talked a bit the other night, and I realized that I needed to take a step back and look at things. The only way to do that, was to take a break from Victoria."

"And me."

"And you," he agreed. "I hate fighting with you and I realize that I'm to blame for it, but I needed to not be around you too, so that I can figure things out. Does any of that make sense?"

"Yeah, a bit," I told him, "but you still aren't forgiven. I want to be your friend again, Edward. I really do. But until you can see things clearly, that's not gonna happen."

"I know. I want to be your friend again as well. I miss our friendship," he told me sadly.

The next couple of days passed pretty much without incident. The exploits of Monday afternoon had died down, and Edward and I had formed a tentative truce. I told myself that I only made "peace" with him so he could help me in Biology, but honestly, it was because I missed him. I know, I know. I'm pathetic. I get it. I'm still mad at him, but not as mad as I once was. Maybe it's because he's taking a break from Victoria. Maybe it's because he truly does seem remorseful. I don't know.

Friday rolled around before I knew it, and I was ready for the weekend. Not that I had any plans. Angela and her family were going camping, Ben was spending the weekend with his dad in Seattle, so that left me sitting at home. Not that I minded.

I had just left the house and climbed into Chuck when my phone rang. I checked the screen and saw that it was Renee calling me. I wasn't awake enough to deal with her, so I let it go to voicemail. I could always give her a call during lunch if I needed to. Usually Fridays are slow going, but for some reason this Friday was going by fast. Not that I was complaining. Before I knew it, lunch had arrived.

"Hey, Bella! What are you doing this weekend?" Alice asked me, as we stood in line to grab some food.

"Nothing that I know of."

"Want to come over tomorrow night? Rose is coming over and we're having a sleepover. Please, say you'll come!"

"Why not?" I said, shrugging.

"Yes!" she squealed, as she gave me a hug.

I checked my voicemail once we were seated at the table. Renee left me a cryptic message telling me to call her as soon as possible. It sounded urgent, so I excused myself from the table and went outside. The wind was harsh and cold and I'd left my jacket in my locker, so I huddled up next to a wall for some coverage and warmth. I hit speed dial and called Renee.

"Bella, Honey!"

"Hi, Mom."

"Oh, I'm so glad you called me back! I have the greatest news!"

"Oh yeah? What's that?" I asked, with a bit of dread. Renee's idea of great news was not the same as mine.

"I'm getting married!"

Well, fuck a duck.

"Congrats," I told her flatly.

"Bella! You could show a little more enthusiasm here. It's not every day your mother gets married!" she scolded me.

Right. Not every day. Just every few years since I was ten. This would be her fourth marriage in the past seven years.

"He's great, Bella! His name is Phil and he's a baseball player," she continued.

That's just great. A baseball player. Well, I suppose he couldn't be worse than the deadbeat hippie vegan, or the alcoholic asshole, or the short-tempered biker with a ZZTop beard, or the lazy architect who refused to work.

"He's a pro baseball player?" I asked her.

"Oh no. He's just in the minors, but Phil's real good. He'll be playing in the majors in no time. He's just so wonderful! And he adores me!"

Of course he did.

"And we moved!"

"What? You moved. To where?"

"Jacksonville, Florida. He got signed with a team down here. I can't wait for you to come to Florida! We just bought a house and I got your room all set up for you."

"Oh, great. I'll see it over Christmas break then."

"You're just gonna love Florida, Bella! It's so sunny and warm!"

"So was Arizona," I replied, but she continued as if she hadn't heard me.

"You're gonna love living here!"

Hold up. What? Has she gone nuts?

"Mom, what are you talking about?"

"I thought that instead of just visiting for Christmas, you could move down here and finish out high school down here with me and Phil."

I stood there with a stunned expression on my face. Was she kidding? I wasn't moving to Florida.

"I'm not moving to Florida, Mom!"

"But, Bella. I never get to see you except on holidays. This way we can spend more time together," she whined.

You've got to be fucking kidding me!

"Well, who's fault is that?" I snapped at her. "You're the one who left us! You're the one who hooked up with a deadbeat hippie and moved to Arizona to live on a commune. You're the one who is always too busy to spend summers with me. You should be thankful that you even see me on holidays!"

"You're obviously going to be difficult about this. I'm going to talk to Charlie and then I'll talk to you later."

"Whatever," I said, and then I hung up on her.

How dare she? I fumed. How dare that selfish bitch assume that I was just going to up and leave my friends and Charlie because she wants me too. I pounded my fist into the wall behind me and immediately regretted it. Ow, ow, ow! That really hurt. It wasn't broken, but my poor knuckles were going to be pretty bruised. I was standing there, nursing my hand, when I heard the bell ring, signaling the end of lunch. I rushed into the cafeteria, grabbed my bag that I had left at the table, and headed off to Biology with Alice and Angela.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Angela asked me.

"No. My mom's getting married. Again," I told her.

"Oh, Bella. I'm sorry," she told me, giving me a one arm hug.

Alice must have looked a bit confused, so Angela filled her in on the life and times of Renee Whatever-her-last-name-was-now.

"Aw, Bella. That's gotta suck! Well, hopefully we can take your mind off of it this weekend," Alice said.

"Sounds good to me."

Mr. Banner was still out, so we were relegated to doing busy work once again. I took my seat next to Edward and got my pen and paper out. I hissed in pain as I attempted to write in my notebook.

"Holy hell, Bella. What did you do to your hand?" Edward asked me, after spying that my knuckles were now turning purple.

"Why do you care?" I snapped at him. Of course, I regretted it the moment I saw the hurt look on his face.

"Sorry, Edward," I sighed. "I'm just in a really shitty mood right now."

"Can I ask why?"

I shook my head at him. "It's personal."

He reached across the table and gently touched my hand, running his fingers lightly over my bruised knuckles. I felt my heart start to race and a tingle ran up my arm from where his fingers were touching me. Focus, Bella. You're still mad at him, I reminded myself.

"It looks pretty bad. Maybe you should go see the nurse."

"Yeah, I probably should. I'll be back," I told him.

I got up and went over to our substitute teacher and asked if I could go to the nurse. He agreed and off I went. Once there, I got some Tylenol, an ice pack, and a lecture about beating up brick walls. Armed with my drugs and ice pack, I headed back to Biology. Edward and I spent the rest of class, making small talk and discussing safe subjects. It almost felt like it did before the whole Bitchtoria fiasco.

Once school was over and I confirmed my plans with Alice and Rose, I headed home. I noticed the cruiser in the driveway, and hoped to God that Charlie didn't have another "family" dinner planned.

"Hey, Dad," I called, as I came in and dropped my keys in the bowl by the door.

"Hey, Bells," he said as he came into the living room. He looked upset and a bit tense.

"What are you doing home so early? Got another hot date?" I joked.

He cracked a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Have a seat, Bells."

Uh oh. This was bad. Something was really wrong.

"Dad, what's going on?"

He sat down next to me, but wouldn't meet my gaze.

"So, uh...your mother called me today. I don't quite know how to tell you this, but...she's getting remarried."

"I know."

His gaze swung over to mine. "You know? How do you know?" he asked me.

"I talked to Renee at lunch today. She told me that she moved to Florida with some guy she's gonna marry, named Phil. He's a baseball player."

"Yeah, she did tell me she moved to Florida. Apparently, the whole reason she called me was because she wants you to move to Florida and live with her."

I jumped up from the couch and turned to glare at Charlie.

"Well, I'm not going! You can't make me move to Florida! I don't want to live with her!" I yelled at him.

Charlie stood up and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Bells. Calm down. No one's going to make you move to Florida. If you don't want to go, you don't have to," he assured me.

I nodded in relief. There was no way in hell, I was going to leave Forks to live with her.

"Thanks, Dad," I said as I reached over to hug him.

He was caught a bit off guard, but quickly returned my hug.

"You bet, Bells. So, any plans for the weekend?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Alice wants me to spend the night with her and Rose on Saturday. Is that okay? Dr. and Mrs. Cullen will be there."

"Sure. I'm going fishing with Billy on Saturday. Maybe Sunday too, if weather permits."

"Of course you are."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. You're just predictable that's all. All you two do is fish," I told him.

"We do not. We drink and tell stories as well."

I snorted. "Sounds exciting."

Charlie rolled his eyes at me, then reached for the remote. He climbed into his beat up, ugly ass recliner and flipped on ESPN. I headed upstairs and figured it was Facebook time. I was gonna have to ask Charlie if I could get a TV in my room since he constantly hogged the one downstairs. Once in a while, it would be nice to watch some TV instead of relying on Facebook for my entertainment. **Bella Swan **_is being frank; she has multiple personalities. _I started up my games and got so caught up that I almost missed the chat pop up. Apparently Edward Cullen wanted to chat with me.

**Edward Cullen:** hi

**Bella Swan:** hey

**Edward Cullen: **so alice says youre coming over tomorrow night

**Bella Swan:** why? is that a problem

**Edward Cullen:** no. ill do my best to stay out of your way while youre here

Way to make me feel guilty, dude.

**Bella Swan:** its your house. theres no need for you to "stay out of the way" as you put it

**Edward Cullen:** I just dont want to ruin your plans with alice and rose

**Bella Swan:** im sure we can all manage to get along. besides, if you piss me off ill just have rose beat you up

**Edward Cullen:** ill be on my best behavior then

We chatted for a few more minutes before I logged off and went downstairs to figure out what to make Charlie for dinner. As I was getting the ingredients together to make lasagna, I thought back to my chat with Edward. Tomorrow was going to be weird. The last time I hung out at the Cullen house, I ended up in a 3 am chat/argument with a shirtless Edward. Not that I'm opposed to a shirtless Edward. I find a shirtless Edward quite enjoyable. Hmmm..perhaps, I'll have to have another 3 am chat with him. Just because I'm mad at him, doesn't mean I can't ogle him, right? By the time, I was done mulling over things, dinner was ready to go in the oven and my phone was ringing. I checked the id, making sure it wasn't Renee wanting to talk, and noticed it was Alice.

"Hey, Alice."

"Bella, we've got a problem."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave me some love. Or hate. Either works.


	14. Dreaming Of You

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own a crazy husband. He would disagree with this, but it's true.

A/N: So last chapter my muse was partially absent. The bitch was drinking margaritas with Johnny Depp on an island somewhere, but she's back now. Thank you for reading and thank you, Chylex28 for being you.

* * *

Cause I'm dreaming of you tonight

Til tomorrow I'll be holding you tight

And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be

Than here in my room dreaming about you and me

Wonder if you ever seem and I wonder if you

Know I'm there (Am I there)

If you looked in my eyes would you see what's inside

Would you even care

~Dreaming Of You~ Selena

* * *

Surviving High School

"_Bella. We've got a problem." _

"What do you mean, we've got a problem?" I asked Alice.

"I'll get to that in a minute. Mom and Dad are thrilled you're coming over. They love you!They want you to come over early enough to have dinner with us at six."

"That's fine. I love your mom's cooking! So what's the problem?"

"Apparently,Dad invited Mr. Laurent and his family to dinner tomorrow night."

"Maybe it's a different Mr. Laurent?"

"Nice try. How people do you know with the last name Laurent? Trust me. It's him. Dad is good friends with him."

"And by family you mean..." I trailed off.

"Mr. Laurent, Mrs. Laurent, and Victoria."

"So, I'll be see you after dinner tomorrow?"

"Oh, hell no! If I have to suffer through this dinner with **her**, then so do you!" Alice yelled at me over the phone.

"But I don't want to!" I whined at her.

"Too fucking bad! You agreed to come to dinner, so now you're stuck."

"Look. Why don't we do this instead? Why don't you come to my house for dinner, and then we'll head to your house for the sleepover," I suggested.

There was silence on the other end, as Alice contemplated my suggestion.

"That could work. Let me talk to Dad and I'll get back to you."

We said our goodbyes, and as I hung up my phone, I heard a noise behind me. Charlie was standing in the kitchen watching me with a wary expression.

"What is that you don't want to do?" he asked me.

"Um, the Cullens have invited me to come over in time for dinner tomorrow night and that's fine. But Alice just told me that Dr. Cullen invited Mr. Laurent and his family over to dinner as well. Seeing as how Victoria and I aren't exactly best friends, I told Alice that I didn't want to eat dinner with them."

"Suck it up, kiddo."

What? Did Charlie just tell me to suck it up? Who's side was he on?

"I'm sorry. Did you just tell me to suck it up?" I asked him.

"Yep. You agreed to have dinner with them, and it would be rude if you suddenly changed your mind because you don't like their dinner guests."

"But..."

"No buts. Besides, Bells. Do you really think this Victoria girl will be stupid enough to do anything with not only her parents around, but the Cullens as well?

Okay. So the man had a point. Chances were pretty slim that she was going to attack me while we were eating dinner, but you never know. She was ruthless. Just then my phone rang and I saw it was Alice calling me back.

"Hey, Alice."

"Dad says I have to stay."

"Mine says I have to go. But he did make a good point. He said that chances are, Victoria will be on her best behavior."

"Your dad's probably right. As long as **she** is around the adults, she'll behave. It's once we're all alone, that I'm afraid the shit's gonna hit the fan. I asked Mom and Dad if I could invite Jasper as well, and they said yes. Rose will be here also, which means that Emmett will be here too. Not like he'd turn down an opportunity for free food."

Knowing that my protector was going to be there, made going not seem so bad.

"Knowing that Emmett and Rose will be there, makes me feel better. Unless, the bitch has a death wish, she'll be on her best behavior. Besides, Charlie told me it would be rude of me not to show."

"And he's right. Leaving me to deal with her on my own would've been rude."

"You would've been fine," I told her.

We discussed what time I should arrive and then we hung up the phone. I was a bit anxious about this whole dinner deal. I'd had a lot of "family" dinner's lately, and wasn't really looking forward to another one.

* * *

I arrived at the Cullen house the next day, a little before six; a bit anxious and worried about the night ahead of me. I pulled Chuck up next to Alice's death trap and slowly climbed out. Poor Chuck. He looked so out of place next to all the fancy cars. I felt bad for him. I grabbed my overnight bag, gave Chuck a loving pat on the hood, and made my way up the walk to the front door. I had just raised my hand to knock, when the door was flung open and I was wrapped up in a hug by Mrs. Cullen.

"Bella, dear! We're so glad that you could come over!"

I hugged her back, enjoying the sensation of the motherly hug. It was moments like these that made me miss having a mom. She pulled away and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Don't worry about Victoria. She'll be on her best behavior, or she'll be out of my house. I don't care if Carlisle **is** friends with her father or not."

I gave her a smile and then followed her inside. Alice was beside herself that we were having a sleepover. I'm not sure why she was so excited, but that's Alice for you. We had just dropped my bag off in her room, when the doorbell rang.

"Alice! Rose, Emmett, and Jasper are here!" we heard Mrs. Cullen holler.

You would've thought that Alice hadn't seen them in years, with the way she tore down the hall and steps. By the time I reached the foyer, Alice had Rose in a huge hug.

"Hey, Frank!" Emmett hollered at me as I walked in.

"Emmett, dear. Her name is Bella," Mrs. Cullen said in a soft voice, like she was talking to a small child. Or an idiot.

"I know that Mama C.," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, then why are you calling her Frank?"

"It's a Facebook thing. You wouldn't understand," he explained.

"I know what Facebook is! Are you calling me old, Emmett McCarty?"

"What? No, no!" he spluttered, while Mrs. Cullen gave him a glare.

It was too much. I couldn't help but bust out laughing, watching Emmett try to save his ass. He flipped me the bird behind Mrs. Cullen's back, but he should have known better.

"Emmett McCarty! I will not tolerate that kind of behavior in my house! If you keep it up, there will be no dinner for you!"

"Mama C.! That's just mean!" he whined at her.

"Then I suggest you be on your best behavior, young man."

Emmett agreed, although I'm sure he had his fingers crossed behind his back the whole time. A few minutes later, Edward came into the foyer and the boys started talking about some game they wanted to watch.

"Hey, Mom. Is it cool if Emmett and Jasper spend the night?" he asked.

"That's fine. But there will be **no** funny business going on in my house! Is that understood?" she asked them.

"Yes, Ma'am," they agreed.

Yeah right. I had a feeling the minute Mrs. Cullen's back was turned, the couples would be all over each other. And sure enough, the minute she walked into the kitchen, Alice and Jasper were going at it. It was disgusting in a cute kinda way.

"Ahem," I cleared my throat.

They pulled away guiltily and looked at me.

"No offense guys, but I really don't want to watch you two slobber all over each other."

"Sorry, Bella," Alice said, not sounding sorry at all.

The six of us headed toward the den to await the arrival of the Laurent family. Alice, Rose, and I were in mid discussion about a movie we wanted to see, when Mrs. Cullen hollered downstairs.

"Edward! Victoria is here."

I seriously think that we all cringed.

"Okay," he called back up, and then he went back to his conversation with Jasper and Emmett.

I'm sure my mouth was hanging open. I'm not sure what I expected him to do, but for him to do nothing was a bit surprising. Victoria must have been surprised too, because she soon came stomping down the stairs, looking extremely put out.

"Eddie! Why didn't you come up to get me?" she whined, as she made her way over to him.

He gave her an annoyed look. "I was busy. It's not like you don't know where the stairs are. And **don't** call me Eddie. You know I hate it," he told her, then excused himself to head upstairs.

Holy shit! I think Edward just grew a backbone. I think we were all a bit stunned. I know I was, and judging by the look on Alice's face, she was too. Victoria was furious, and sat down on one of the recliners with a huff. I was huddled at the end of the couch near Alice, and was fairly confident that Bitchtoria hadn't seen me yet.

"I heard something interesting about you Rosalie," she began.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Rose asked.

"I heard that you're running for Homecoming Queen. But that can't possibly be true, because we all know that **I'm** always Homecoming Queen."

Rose turned and looked at Victoria.

"You heard right," she said, coolly.

Victoria flipped her red hair over her shoulder and examined her nails.

"You don't actually think you're going to win, do you?"

"I have no doubt that I will. In case you haven't noticed Victoria, you're not as popular as you think you are."

"What the fuck are you playing at Rosalie? Do you really think you can take the title away from me? Well, you can't. No one will vote for you," she sneered.

"I will," I chimed in, immediately regretting it, as Victoria's gaze zoomed in on me.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at me.

Alice immediately jumped to my defense. "I invited her. Not that it's any of your business, but she's my friend. If you have a problem with that, feel free to leave."

"God, you're all so pathetic. You do realize that you're committing social suicide by slumming it with Swan," Victoria said.

"None of us are 'slumming' it, as you put it" Jasper said from his spot on the couch. I noticed that Emmett's hands were fisted, and Rose looked like she was about to tear each red strand out of Victoria's head.

"Puh-lease! Have you looked at her? She's a pathetic nobody!"

I couldn't believe that she was having a go at me with Rose and Emmett in the room. Did she have a death wish?

"Bella **isn't **pathetic and she **is**n't a nobody," a quiet, yet deadly voice said from near the stairs.

We all swung our heads toward the steps and saw Edward standing there, looking extremely pissed off.

"Eddie...I, uh, didn't see you there," Victoria said, scrambling to cover her ass.

"Obviously," he said, coldly. "Looks like everyone was right about you, but I was just too stupid to listen."

"What are you talking about, Eddie?"

Before Edward could respond to her, Mrs. Cullen called us for dinner. Edward turned and started up the stairs first, with the rest of us following, leaving Victoria for last.

"Well this should be interesting," I whispered to Rose and Alice, as we made our way upstairs.

Edward led us into the formal dining room and Mrs. Cullen showed us all to our seats around the huge table. I ended up sitting with Edward to the right of me, and Emmett to the left. Victoria had been placed across the table toward the end, next to her parents. Thank you, Mrs. Cullen.

Dinner was soon served and small talk dominated the table. I didn't have much time to chat, because I was too busy trying to keep Emmett in line. I didn't know how Rose did it. He was like a toddler. He would shovel food in his mouth, then start waving his hands around, all while talking and spilling food on himself. I finally grabbed his napkin and attempted to tie the ends of it around his neck so that he had a bib. Unfortunately, Emmett's neck was too thick, so I ended up just tucking his napkin into his collar. The whole table was quietly watching me, and soon they were all snickering.

"Thanks, Frank!"

I shook my head. I should have known better than to use that status.

"Bella, how is school going?" Mr. Laurent asked me, halfway through dinner.

I saw everyone turn to look at me, and felt a blush creeping up on my face.

"It's fine."

I mean, really. What did he want me to say? School would be great if your bitch of a daughter would leave me the fuck alone.

"Oh yes, Vickie was quite concerned about you," Mrs. Laurent chimed in.

Emmett starting choking on whatever it was he had shoved into his mouth. I quickly smacked him on the back a few times.

"Really?" I asked, sounding surprised.

"I didn't realize that Bella and Victoria were friends," Mrs. Cullen commented.

"Neither was I," I mumbled under my breath.

Emmett gave a quiet snicker beside me.

"Oh, yes. Vickie was very distraught after Bella's cliff diving incident. When she heard about it, she went straight to Dale and let him know how concerned she was for Bella."

"Huh. She never mentioned a word to me," I told Mrs. Laurent. It was taking everything I had, not to call the bitch flat out on her shit. Rose, on the other hand, had no problem doing it.

Rose looked over at the Laurents. "Victoria's never been concerned about Bella before," she said, in a sweet voice.

It's a good thing looks couldn't kill, or Rose would be laying dead on the floor due to Victoria's death stare.

"I've always been concerned about Isabella. We're friends. You don't know what you're talking about, Rosalie."

This time, I was the one who almost choked on my food. Edward tapped me on my back gently and handed me my water.

"First off, if you were really her friend, you'd know that she goes by Bella. Not Isabella. And the only thing that you've been concerned about was that she was going to steal Edward away. Lord knows, I had to listen to you complain about it enough."

I could've sworn that Victoria's eyes glowed red with anger.

"You fucking bitch!" Victoria yelled, as she shoved away from the table and headed toward Rose.

Mrs. Cullen shot out of her seat and told Victoria in no uncertain terms, "I will not tolerate that kind of language in my house!" She then looked at Mr. and Mrs. Laurent. "If your daughter insists on using such language and behaving like this, you're going to have to leave."

It was clear that Mr. and Mrs. Laurent were embarrassed about Victoria's outburst. They excused themselves from the table to have a little chat with Victoria. Meanwhile, Rose was looking quite pleased with herself. I gave her a thumbs up when Dr. and Mrs. Cullen weren't looking. She gave me a wink in return. Edward, who was sitting beside me, looked to be fuming.

"Wow. She really is a bitch" he said quietly.

"No shit. I've been trying to tell you that for quite some time."

"I realize that now. I really can't begin to tell you how sorry I am that I didn't believe you."

Just then Emmett leaned over.

"What are you two whispering about?" he asked us.

"Nothing," Edward said at the same time I said, "He was apologizing for not believing me, when I told him what a bitch she was."

Emmett gave Edward a dark look. "You need to stop being such a tool. I've told you from day one that Victoria was nothing but a first class bitch. The fact that you chose to believe Bitchtoria over Bella has me more than a little pissed off at you."

Edward leaned across me to talk to Emmett. "Look, I've already apologized to Bella for that. So back off!"

"Yeah, I heard all about your craptastic apology. I hope you get your head out of your ass soon, and break up with that spawn of Satan. I'm not sure how much longer I can stomach her, and I refuse to sit back and let her make Bella's life miserable."

"We're on a break right now."

"I'm not talking about a break, douche. I'm talking about getting rid of her, once and for all. You can do so much better! Hell, I know of at least one girl who'd love to go out with you."

I was getting a bit uncomfortable, sandwiched between the two while they argued, and then I blushed bright red when Emmett said he knew of one girl who'd love to be Edward's girlfriend. I opened my mouth to say something, but Edward started talking again.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I was planning on breaking up with Victoria this weekend," he hissed.

"Good," was Emmett's response.

My head was spinning over what I was hearing. He was going to break up with her. My inner voice was doing a victory dance. I tried to calm myself down. Just because he said he was going to break up with her, didn't mean he was going to. And if he did, it certainly didn't mean that he was going to date me.

"Everything okay over here?" Dr. Cullen asked from behind us.

"Yep," the boys replied. I just nodded my head.

The Laurent family had come back to the table and Victoria gave the Cullens a half-assed apology, that I doubt they bought. The rest of dinner was tense and awkward. I kept replaying in my head what Edward had said. Was he breaking up with her because of me? Or because of what she was? What if he was really in love with her? What if I was ruining his one chance at true love? God, I hoped not.

"Edward," I said, softly.

He leaned down. "Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you later?" I asked, hesitatingly.

"Sure. After dinner?"

I nodded. I had to know the reasoning behind his breaking up with her. This is what I had wanted, but I felt extremely guilty. I hoped that he was going to do for the right reasons, for himself. Not out of guilt.

I was so thankful when dinner ended and the Laurents left. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen informed us that they were going to a neighbor's house for a bridge game, and that they'd be back by ten.

"I expect you all to behave. No funny business. We're trusting you," Dr. Hot told us, as they were getting ready to leave.

We all promised that we'd be on our best behavior. Of course, the minute they were out the door, Alice grabbed Jasper and hauled him off to her room. Rose grabbed Emmett and headed toward one of the guest rooms, leaving Edward and I to stare at each other.

"Uh...want to head to the den and maybe watch a movie with the sound turned way up?" he asked me.

"Sounds good to me," I said, and we hurried downstairs.

I settled onto one of the plush couches while Edward scoured for a movie to watch.

"Harry Potter, okay?" he asked.

"Awesome! I love Harry Potter!"

"Me, too," he said and we shared a smile.

After putting in the movie, Edward sat down at the end of the couch. All I could think about, was the last time we were down here by ourselves. I wondered if he was remembering what happened last time. It was right here that we almost kissed. Thinking about it brought a light blush to my face. I did my best to get my mind off of it and focus on the movie.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked me once the movie had started.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

"It's about what you said to Emmett. You told him you were breaking up with Victoria."

"Uh...yeah," he said, rubbing his hand through his hair.

"Are you really breaking up with her, or were you just telling him that to get him to back off?"

He sat there staring at the TV, not saying anything. I sat there playing with the ends of my hair while I waited for him to comment.

"Yes, I'm breaking up with her."

"Why?"

He turned to look at me from his end of the couch.

"I figured you'd be thrilled to hear that I'm breaking up with her," he commented dryly before continuing. "Things have been strained between Victoria and I for some time. Even before all this drama started. And after hearing her talk about you as if you're nothing, well...that really sealed the deal for me. I mean, if she's talking shit like that about you when I'm not around, it makes me wonder who else she talks about when I'm not around."

"Oh." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

We were silent for a few minutes, both thinking about what he had said.

"So...uh...when are you telling her it's over?" I asked, hoping I wasn't overstepping my boundaries.

"Probably tomorrow. Best to get it done and over with. No need to drag out an unpleasant experience. And I can guarantee it's not gonna be pretty. Mom was super pissed at Victoria earlier."

"Yeah. Your mom's not a big fan of hers. Then again, no one really is."

"I see that now. Alice hated her from the start and that should have clued me in. Alice and I have always been close, but the minute Victoria came into our lives, there's been a lot more tension between us. Alice did her best to get along with Victoria, but there were times when I could tell it was taking everything in Alice not to strangle her."

"So why stay with Victoria then?"

"Habit, I guess. I was comfortable being in a relationship. Victoria was one of the first people I met when we moved here and I let myself get sucked into her crowd. It just made sense for me to date her. She's a cheerleader and I'm a football player."

He frowned after he said that. "Anyway, it'll be nice to be single for a while. No one demanding all my time."

"That's probably for the best. I'm sure there will be plenty of backlash from Victoria for a while."

"Yeah. Not looking forward to that."

A slightly awkward silence fell between us as we both turned our attention back to the movie. I excused myself to use the bathroom and wished I hadn't, once I got up the stairs. I could hear moaning coming from Alice's room. Ugh! I shuddered. I quickly used the bathroom, then literally ran down the stairs to the den. Of course, I managed to trip in my haste and ended up tumbling down them instead.

"Oooof!"

"Bella! Holy shit! Are you okay?" Edward asked, as he ran over to me.

He helped me sit up and starting running his hands over me. It was all I could do not to swoon. Not sure if that was due to his running his hands over me, or my aching head.

"I'm okay. I think," I said, as I touched my head with my hand.

Edward brushed my hand away and gently probed the knot that was forming on my temple.

"Ow!"

"Sorry. Do you hurt anywhere else?"

"No. Just my head and my pride. Though I should be used to that by now."

He let out a sigh and sat on the step next to me.

"I thought you were done with Stair Olympic tryouts," he said smiling.

"Just preparing for next year."

"So what had you flying down the stairs in a hurry?"

"Moaning from your sister's room."

The look on his face was one of complete horror.

"I didn't need to know that! Why would you tell me that?"

"Hey, you asked," I replied. "Besides, I shouldn't have to be the only one that has to suffer."

After one last shudder, he carefully pulled me up and walked me to the couch.

"I'd offer to get you some aspirin, but there's no way in hell I'm going up there right now."

"I'll be fine," I told him, as I sat down.

Instead of sitting down at the other end of the couch, where he had been previously, he sat down next to me.

"Bella?"

I turned to look at him. He looked nervous and worried.

"Do you think you'll ever forgive me?"

Truth was, I'd already partially forgiven him. But he didn't need to know that. I wasn't one of those people who could stay mad for long. Unless it was at Renee. I know, I know. I'm a pushover.

"Of course. Someday I will forgive you. You'll have to gain my trust again before that can happen though," I told him.

He nodded. "I understand. Do you think after I break up with Victoria and things die down a bit, that we can start over?"

I shrugged. "Let's take things as they come. One day at a time and all that. Let's start off getting to know each other and then go from there."

"I'd like that a lot," he said softly.

By the time the movie was over, the couples had come back downstairs. They all tried to act nonchalant about things, but the shit eating grin on Emmett's face kinda gave things away.

"Hey, hey Frank! What have you two been up to?" Emmett asked me.

"Making out. How 'bout you?" I quipped.

Emmett's mouth fell open and his eyes darted back and forth between me and Edward. My hair was a bit tousled from my trip down the stairs and Edward's was mussed from his fingers running through it. Considering how close we were sitting next to each other, I could see how Emmett would believe me.

Emmett's face suddenly morphed from shock to anger. He stomped over to Edward and got in his face.

"You'd better not be fucking around with my little sister!" he warned Edward. "You haven't even dumped Victoria yet!"

Well, crap. I didn't think that Emmett would get angry over my little joke. Before Edward could say anything, I jumped in and placed a calming hand on Emmett's arm.

"Calm down, big bro. I was joking. Edward and I have been talking. That's all."

"How did you get that bruise on your head?" Alice asked me as they came further into the room.

I looked at her and Jasper. They both looked a bit flushed. "I was unfortunate enough to overhear some lovely sounds coming from your room. I was terrified! In my haste to get away, I managed to trip down the steps. You know what they say. If you roll down the steps, you get to the bottom quicker."

I looked at Alice and Jasper as I said this, and saw them both turning a nice shade of red. It was nice not to be the one blushing.

"Um, yeah. Sorry about that," Jasper drawled.

"The two of you need to learn a silencing spell," I told them.

"I couldn't even get Bella anything for her headache, for fear of what I might hear," Edward chimed in.

"All right, all right! We get it. From now on, we'll be more quiet," Alice said.

Edward and I both shuddered at the thought of there being more times. There were somethings you just didn't need to know.

"So what were you two talking about?" Alice asked me, sitting down on the floor.

"I'm breaking up with Victoria tomorrow."

"About fucking time!" Rose spat. "If you didn't do it soon, I was going to beat the shit out of you. For a smart guy, you're really stupid sometimes."

"I'm beginning to see that. I guess it took hearing her talk shit about Bella when she didn't think I was around, to really make me see it."

"Please. That was tame compared to some of the shit she goes off about," Rose told him.

After a while, we got tired of talking about Bitchtoria and her escapades and decided to have a Die Hard marathon. Nothing like some Bruce Willis to make a girl happy. I was curled up on my end of the couch, with Edward next to me, while the other couples cuddled together. Every so often you could hear the sounds of kissing, but thankfully it was kept PG. At some point, we all must have dozed off, because I woke up to find Edward's head on my shoulder, his soft snoring in my ear. He looked so beautiful when he slept. My finger itched to run through his hair, to tug on those beautiful bronze locks. It would be so easy to lean down and place my lips upon his, but I quickly shook off that thought. The man wasn't even single yet. Plus, he needed to do some groveling before my lips came in contact with his. I was so lost in my own ramblings, that I was startled by someone saying my name.

"Bella," Edward breathed softly, snuggling up closer to me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and buried his face in my neck. I froze. This must be a dream. I pinched myself hard enough to hurt and when I looked over, he was still there, sleeping against me. I gently nudged him to see if he would wake, but all that did was make him hold me tighter. Not that I was complaining. Realizing that he wasn't going to be moving anytime soon, I let myself enjoy it. Tomorrow was going to bring lots of drama and heartache, and I just wanted to forget it all. What better way to do that, than to sleep with Edward curled around me? And what better excuse to do so, than that we were "unconscious" and had no control over the situation?

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Reviews are almost as good as snuggling with Edward. Almost.


	15. Take A Bow

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1, collector's edition. What can I say? I'm a nerd.

A/N: Sorry about the delay, folks. To those of you who celebrate Easter, hope you had a good holiday. As always, thanks for reading. Chylex28, you know you're the best Beta ever.

* * *

Don't tell me you're sorry 'cause you're not  
Baby when I know you're only sorry you got caught  
But you put on quite a show  
Really had me going  
But now it's time to go  
Curtain's finally closing  
That was quite a show  
Very entertaining  
But it's over now (but it's over now)  
Go on and take a bow

~Take A Bow~ Rihanna

* * *

Surviving High School

_I was sitting on the couch, next to Edward, watching the newest Harry Potter movie. The other couples had abandoned us for some alone time, so here we were. Not that I was complaining. We were about twenty minutes into the movie when I started to cry. What a sad scene! Edward must have noticed my tears because he scooted down the couch till he was sitting next to me and wrapped his arm around me._

"_Hey. You okay?" he asked me._

_I nodded. "I'm fine. I knew this scene was coming, but it still makes me sad. I know. I'm being silly."_

"_No you're not. It's a sad moment. No shame in crying."_

_The rest of the movie was spent with Edward's arm wrapped around me, pulling me into him. I snuggled closer and rested my head on his shoulder. Too soon for my liking, the movie ended, but Edward didn't release me from his grip. _

"_Bella?"_

_I looked at him._

"_I know that I've been a stupid jerk, but I've seen the error of my ways. Would you...would you consider going out with me?" _

_I could hardly breath. Edward was asking me out! _

"_Of course!" I practically shouted at him. Then I buried my face in his shoulder, embarrassed at my reaction._

_He laughed at my obvious enthusiasm and squeezed my shoulder._

"_I'm glad that you're excited about going out with me. Would you like to go out tomorrow night? We could go out to dinner in Port Angeles, and maybe see a movie?"_

"_I'd like that," I told him, shyly._

_He beamed. _

"_Bella. Would it be considered terribly rude of me to kiss you?"_

"_Not at all. I think I'd like that. A lot." Cue the blush._

_Edward reached up and gently cupped my face in his hands. He leaned down, his bronze hair falling into his eyes, and I saw him wet his lips. The next moment, his lips were pressed firmly on mine. His tongue gently traced my lips, begging me to open up, and I did. His tongue swept into my mouth and began to tangle with my own. And just as I was sinking deeper into the kiss, I heard whispering from nearby._

"Shhhh...don't wake them up!"

"Aww...they look so cute."

"Jerk better break up with Victoria for real, or I'm gonna break him."

I slowly peeled my eyes open and saw Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett staring at me. Or more accurately, at Edward and me. Apparently, he was still wrapped around me, with his head on my shoulder. I blinked a few times and began to try and untangle myself from Edward. The group must have noticed that I was awake, because they all quickly adverted their eyes and began talking to one another.

"Let's head up for breakfast."

"Sure."

"Sounds good."

"I can always eat."

And just like that, they all tromped upstairs leaving me alone with a sleeping Edward. I shook my head at their antics. I noticed that one of Edward's arms was wrapped around my waist, while the other hung off the back of the couch. I reached over and gently pushed on his shoulder in an attempt to wake him up.

"Edward. Edward, wake up."

I got a garbled mumble as a response.

So I tried shaking him harder, which only caused him to tighten his grip on me.

"Edward!" I shouted in his ear.

He jerked up, almost banging his head into mine.

"What! What!" he said, with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Um...it's time to get up," I told him.

"Oh. Okay," he said. Then he took a minute to assess the situation. I knew the minute he realized he was wrapped around me, because his face took on a light blush. He quickly removed his arm from around my waist and stood up.

"I'm... uh...sorry about that. I didn't mean to manhandle you in my sleep."

"No worries. It's all good," I told him, getting up from the couch as well. And then we just stood there, staring awkwardly at each other.

"So...um...I think breakfast is ready."

"Right. Breakfast. Breakfast is good."

I couldn't help but giggle at his behavior. He was acting so cute.

"I'm gonna head on up there and grab something to eat," I said.

"Sure. Go ahead. I'm gonna go shower first."

And then I was bombarded with images of a naked Edward in the shower. Oh boy. Best not to think those thoughts. I hurried up the stairs and made my way into the kitchen. I found the two couples, along with Mrs. Cullen, sitting around the table.

"Good Morning, Bella!" Alice sang.

"Morning, Alice."

"So...how did you sleep?" she asked slyly.

"Fine. I slept fine."

"Looked like it. Looks like Edward slept just fine too," she said.

I shot her a glare. The last thing I wanted was her mom thinking I was some kind of hussy.

"The two of you did look really cute," Mrs. Cullen said, as she passed me a plate full of eggs and bacon.

I'm pretty sure my mouth fell open as I stared at her, and then the blush started to take over. I couldn't look her in the eye as I took my plate from her.

"Oh, Bella. Don't be embarrassed Sweetie."

Too late for that. Edward's mom had seen us cuddling. And he still had a girlfriend. A few minutes later, Edward came into the kitchen and sat down at the table next to Emmett. The rest of breakfast passed without much conversation, mainly just the scraping of forks on plates. After breakfast was over, I saw Emmett lean down and say something to Edward that seemed to piss him off. Looks like Emmett was still in brother bear mode.

"Alright, kids. What are your plans for the day?" Mrs. Cullen asked us.

I honestly had no idea. Alice, did. Apparently, we were going to spend today just hanging out and relaxing. Although Alice's idea of fun was manicures and pedicures. Ugh! Jasper had to head home, so Edward and Emmett decided to have a video game tournament. Edward was going to head to Victoria's later to have a "chat."

Alice, Rose, and I all headed upstairs and took turns taking showers. Once dressed, the torture began. Fifteen minutes later, I was sporting clear polish on my fingernails and pink on my toenails. I was not happy about the pink.

"Why did you have to put pink polish on me?" I whined to Alice.

"Because I wanted to," she said, and that was the end of that conversation.

By the time lunch rolled around, Alice had dolled us all up. We headed to the kitchen to start making some lunch. We walked into the kitchen to find Emmett creating the biggest sandwich I'd ever seen.

"Good lord, Emmett! Are you feeding a small country?" I asked him.

"Hey now, Frank. Be nice. I'm a growing boy. I need to eat."

"So do the starving children in China."

He stuck his tongue out at me, then proceeded to make me a sandwich as big as his. Once done with his creation, he set the plate in front of me.

"Emmett, there is no way I can eat all this," I complained.

"Sure you can. It might take you a while, but I have faith that you can do it."

I just rolled my eyes. I cut the sandwich into fourths and started digging in. I will admit, the boy could make a mean sandwich. I had just given half of my sandwich to Alice, when the doorbell rang.

Edward went and got the door. A few seconds later, we all heard the screeching that was Victoria's voice.

"Eddie! I'm so glad you're home!"

"Oh. Hey Victoria. I was going to call you later. We need to talk. Why don't we take a walk around to the gardens."

Oh, this was it! He was going to break up with her! Inside, I was doing a happy dance. Part of me wanted to go into spy mode and listen in on their conversation, but the moral part of me told me that was wrong. Fortunately for my evil side, Emmett was all about spying.

"Quick! Let's head outside before they get to the garden! I want to hear this!"

"Emmett. We can't spy on them. That would be wrong," I said, trying to sound convincing.

Rose rolled her eyes at me. "Whatever, Bella. You know you want to hear it as much as we do. So where are we going to hide, Emmett?"

"I don't know. Alice? Any ideas?"

Alice grinned at him. "There's a tree house outback that came with the property. Edward and I found it when we first moved here. It's near the gardens. It's sturdy enough, although I'm not sure if we can all fit in it."

And with that, Emmett took out through the back door, with us at his heels. We found the tree house, and it was definitely made for kids. Not three teenage girls and a giant oaf. Alice shimmied up the wooden ladder first, then Rose. I wasn't so sure about this. Yes, the ladder looked strong enough, but this was me we were talking about. I was on the second rung, with Emmett behind me, when we heard Edward and Victoria approaching.

"C'mon...hurry up!" Emmett hissed at me.

I started scrambling up the ladder as quickly as possible, but apparently it wasn't fast enough, because Emmett put his hands on my ass and boosted me up. I fell onto the floor of the tree house and moved to the corner to make room for Emmett. Once he was in the tree house, I kicked him as hard as I could.

"There was no need to grab my ass!" I whisper yelled at him.

"I wasn't trying to cop a feel. I was trying to hurry you up," he whispered back at me.

"Jerk."

"Shhh!" Alice quietly yelled at us. "They're here."

So here we were. Four teenagers crammed into a tiny tree house, trying to huddle around the window so we could spy on Edward and Victoria. We were pathetic. Alice and I, being the smallest, were able to fit comfortably enough, but Rose and Emmett were having issues. After a few minutes, we finally got ourselves situated and began to listen in. Oh, we were so going to burn in hell for this. Alice and I looked out the window and saw Edward and Victoria sitting down on a bench, not too far from the tree house.

"So, Eddie. What did you want to talk to me about?" Victoria simpered. Or tried to at least. She had angled herself so that she was practically in Edward's lap, but he was having none of that. He pushed her to the side and then stood up, pacing back and forth.

"First off, don't call me Eddie. I don't know how many times I've had to tell you that. I hate being called Eddie! Maybe you think it sounds cute, but it doesn't. It just grates on my nerves."

"I'm sorry Eddi...Edward. I don't do it on purpose."

"Whatever. Do you know why I wanted us to take a break?"

She tossed her red hair over her shoulder and said, "It had something to do with Swan. It's all her fault."

"No, it's not. Bella might have had a small part in it, but we were heading toward a break even before all the drama happened. You and I have been drifting apart for some time. You always want to go out somewhere expensive, you want me to spend lots of money on you, you're never happy just hanging out around here. After a while, I began to wonder if you were just dating me because my family has money."

"Edward! That's not true. I'm sorry if it seemed like that, but I'm not dating you for your money. I...I love you!" she cried.

Up in the tree house, we all rolled our eyes at Victoria's declaration.

"Really? I seem to recall you getting mad at me because I didn't buy some expensive earrings you wanted for your birthday. You pouted for a week after that."

"Are you accusing me of being a gold digger? You know, Edward, you never had issues with me until Isabella came along."

"Bella," he said, stressing my name, "has nothing to do with this."

"She has everything to do with this! I knew that she was out to break us up, so I asked you not to be her lab partner, but instead you go right ahead and then, you have the audacity to become her friend! She comes crying to you that I'm being mean to her, which was a fucking lie by the way..."

"Hold on just a second," Edward interrupted. "You didn't **ask** that I not be Bella's lab partner. You demanded it. I am my own person! I can make my own decisions, and frankly, I don't see why it's your business if I'm friends with her."

"Are you fucking kidding me? The lying tramp has been out for me since day one. She's always been jealous of me! She saw that I had you and decided to try and break us up!"

Despite the fact that I was up in the tree house, I was ready to jump out the window and bitch slap Bitchtoria. Who the fuck did she think she was, spouting all these lies?

"Whoa...calm down there, Tiger," Emmett whispered in my ear. "Let's see what Edward has to say."

"She's not a tramp! If you know what's good for you, you'll watch your mouth! You know Victoria, I was on your side in the beginning. I stood up for you, despite everything that everyone was telling me about you. Since we first started dating, everyone was telling me what a bitch you were, but I disagreed with them. And I was wrong. I stopped being friends with Bella, because you told me that she was being mean to you, and I ended up hurting Bella."

"Who the fuck cares if she got hurt?" she sneered.

"I do. Because it turns out that she was right about you. They all were. Yesterday, I saw the true you. You go around talking shit about people, and I was too blind or dumb to notice. I feel like an idiot for not having seen it sooner."

"What are you saying, Edward?"

"I'm saying that you and I are over. We're done. I'm breaking up with you."

Victoria flew into a rage. She jumped up off the bench, hair flying and fist clenched. I truly feared for Edward's safety.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't possibly have heard you right. Did you just say that you were breaking up with me?"

"Yes."

"You fucking asshole! I made you! If wasn't for me, you'd be the same kind of trash that Isabella Swan is! I'm taking you down! You won't get away with this! When I'm through with you, no one will even remember your name!" she threatened.

"Oh, hell no! She did not just threaten my brother," Alice said to us. Before we could stop her, she had climbed out of the tree house window and latched onto the robe that led to the swinging tire. She shimmied down the rope like a pro, made her way over to Victoria, and slapped her across the face before anyone saw it coming.

"You fucking skank! How dare you threaten my brother!" she screeched at Victoria.

I don't know who was more shocked. Victoria or Edward. Both of them wore identical expressions of disbelief. Although, Victoria's face was now sporting a bright red, tiny hand print. And then all hell broke loose.

"You're so going to fucking pay for this, Alice Cullen! Don't think I won't ruin you!" Victoria shouted as she lunged toward Alice.

Edward yanked Alice out of the way, just as Mrs. Cullen came running into the gardens.

"What is all this yelling about?" she asked, looking around at the three of them.

"Nothing, Mom. Victoria was just leaving," Edward told her as Alice said, "Oh, Victoria's a bit upset because Edward finally wised up and saw her for what she truly is."

"Hmmm...well Victoria, I think it's time you left. Oh, and Victoria. If I **ever** hear you threatening any of my children ever again, there will be hell to pay."

After having said that, Mrs. Cullen grabbed Victoria's arm and dragged her toward the front of the house.

"Way to go, Mama C!" Emmett yelled from the tree house.

Edward let out a sigh as he heard Emmett's voice and turned to Alice.

"Really, Alice? Eavesdropping? Aren't you a bit old for that?"

"Of course not. I knew that she wouldn't take it well, and I wanted to be nearby in case anything happened."

"I take it Emmett and Rose are around as well."

"And Bella."

We all waved to Edward from our spot in the tree house.

"How the hell did you all fit in that tree house?" he asked, with a bit of a smile starting to form.

"It's a tight fit. Emmett is taking up all the space," I called down.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Would you two grow up? Geez."

"Why don't the three of you come out of there," Edward said to us.

As quickly as I dared, I made my way down the ladder, managing to trip on air once I was off the ladder. Good thing Edward was there to catch me.

"Seriously, Bella? You get down the ladder unscathed and trip over thin air?"

"That's me."

Rose soon came down and then last, but not least, came Emmett. Except he got stuck. From where I stood, I saw the lower half of his body on the ladder, and the upper half still inside the trap door.

"Help!" came a muffled call.

"Oh, good God," Rose said, as she climbed back up the ladder and attempted to pull Emmett out.

Alice, Edward, and I were beside ourselves. Bodies quaking with laughter at watching Rose try to get Emmett unstuck.

"You know, instead of standing there laughing like hyenas, you could help out!" Rose spat at us.

I shook my head and backed away. No way was I going to help. I had a feeling I'd be more of a hindrance anyway. Edward let out a sigh, told Rose to move, and started tugging at Emmett's legs. Unfortunately, Emmett was wearing a pair of sweatpants and with one hard tug, Edward managed to pull his pants right off. We were left staring at Emmett, clad in a pair of bright red, silk boxers with the words S_exy Beast_ written across his ass. It was too much. We all looked at each other and the laughter began all over again. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture. I couldn't help it. This was so going on Facebook.

"What's so funny?" Emmett asked.

"Nothing. Nothing at all, you Sexy Beast," I replied.

It took a minute for what I said to register with him. "Where are my pants?" he roared at us.

In between giggles, Rose managed to inform him that Edward had accidentally pulled them off.

"I always knew you were gay for me, Edward. If you wanted to check out my ass, all you had to do was ask."

"Speaking of asses, why did you grab Bella's?" Rose asked him.

"He did what?" Edward asked me, looking furious.

Emmett explained that he was trying to hurry us up and just reached up and pushed me, and that he may have grabbed my ass in doing so.

"I wasn't trying to cop a feel! I swear, Rosie. I would never do that."

"I know, you big oaf. Just don't do it again or you'll never be getting any ass. Ever!"

Twenty minutes later, we finally had Emmett out, and his pants back on. Thank God. Alice had whipped out her phone, and was furiously texting Jasper to let him know all about the good stuff that he'd missed. We all headed to the living room and sat down to discuss what had happened, and what was probably going to happen on Monday.

"Eddie man, I'm so fucking proud of you. I didn't think you actually had the balls to go through with it," Emmett told him, from his spot on the floor.

"Don't call me Eddie. You know how much I hate it."

"That's why I do it. Duh."

I rolled my eyes at them. Sometimes, they were such boys.

"I'm just glad that you finally saw the light. I was afraid I'd be stuck having to deal with her forever," Alice told him.

"I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize that you all were right. And Bella. I can't tell you how sorry I am, that I didn't believe you."

"All will be forgiven in time," I told him.

He looked a bit upset that I hadn't forgiven him right then and there, but he had a lesson to learn. I saw Rose give me a wink from her spot on the couch.

"I have a feeling tomorrow at school is gonna suck," Edward commented.

"Most likely. After all, Bitchtoria is going to ruin you! What was it she said? Oh yes. By the time she's through with you, no one will remember your name or something stupid like that," Alice said.

"Don't worry your pretty little heads about it. Tomorrow, I implement the first phase of Operation: Dethrone The Queen ," Rose said, with an extremely scary smile on her face.

"I don't want to know," I told them. And I really didn't. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. This way, when I'm being tortured by Bitchtoria and her Brainless Bimbo Brigade, I can honestly say I have no idea what was going down.

* * *

I woke up early Monday morning, unable to sleep. I had tossed and turned all night, dreams filled with Edward and Victoria. I rolled over and noticed that it was only a little after five. Ugh. I could hear Charlie moving around in the kitchen downstairs, so I headed down to make him a decent breakfast.

"Morning, Dad."

"Bells! You're up early."

"Yeah. Couldn't sleep. How about I make you a real breakfast? Eggs and bacon, okay?"

"Sounds terrific."

We ate our breakfast quietly, then he headed off to the station, and I headed upstairs to log into my Facebook account. The first thing I noticed, once it was up, was that Edward's relationship status had changed to single. I clicked on his page and noticed a ton of people had commented on his new single status, including his mom. I grinned at that. Edward was Facebook friends with his mom. Thankfully, Renee had never figured out how to use Facebook. **Bella Swan **_is thinking: The best part about this status message is that by the time you've finished reading it you realize that there is absolutely no point to it. _So very true. I considered putting up the picture of Emmett and his sexy beast boxers, but in the end decided not to. I may need that shit for blackmailing him someday. I killed some more time catching up on my games, then got ready for school. Today was, without a doubt, going to be extremely interesting.

I pulled into lot at school, and parked near Edward's mom-mobile. I saw that Alice, Rose, Jasper, and Emmett were all surrounding Edward. Providing a protective front, should he need one, from the evil that is known as Victoria. I grabbed my stuff and joined the ranks.

"Morning, gang."

"Hey, Bella! Ready to see what today brings?" Alice asked me.

"Oh yeah.," I replied.

Rose looked at us and with a feral grin said, "bring it on."

The six of us walked into Forks High, ready to face the gossip mongers. And there were a ton. At every corner, there were whispers about not only Edward, but the rest of us as well. Looked like Victoria was on her way to try and "ruin" us. Where I had once been afraid of her, now I was just annoyed at her pathetic ploy to get back at us. It was stupid. I made my way to my locker, grabbed my books, and as I was shutting it, I found Bree and Tanya standing next to me.

"Can I help you?" I asked them.

"Hardly. Just thought you should know, that you're going down. I'd watch your back if I were you," Bree warned me, while Tanya stood next to her picking her nails.

I snorted. These two really needed to work on their threats, because as threats go, that was pretty lame. "Gee, thanks for the warning ladies. But, in all honesty, I think the two of you have more to worry about than me. Rose is taking Victoria down, and Victoria's gonna take you all down with her. Best to jump ship while you still can."

I left them looking confused and headed off towards home room. Home room was filled with people discussing the breakup of the century. Good lord, you'd think that Prince William and Kate had broken up, with all the hype that it was getting.

"I heard that Edward broke up with Victoria so he could date Bella, but she turned him down and now he wants Victoria back, but she's done with him," Eric was telling Tyler in the corner of the room.

From in front of me, I heard a group of girls discussing the best way to catch Edward now that he was single. While a group of kids in the back of the room were discussing the showdown that had gone on at the Cullen home, which had led to Alice attacking Victoria. I was amazed at how many details people got wrong. Gossip was like a game of telephone. It started out with the right information, but along the way the information got twisted around and next you thing you know, Victoria dumped Edward for Alice, but Alice had the hots for me, which led to a cat fight between Victoria and myself.

Angela and I headed to English and found ourselves stuck in our group, consisting of Mike and Tanya. Fabulous. I couldn't wait to hear what they had to say. And I didn't have to wait long. I had talked to Angela the night before and filled her in on the juicy, yet accurate details of what had gone down. Now we were going to hear what dear ole' Mike had to say.

"So, Bella...I heard that Edward broke up with Victoria," he started.

"Oh, that's such crap. Everyone knows that Victoria dumped him," Tanya interrupted.

"Actually, Edward did break up with her. I was there," I said. Then immediately wished I'd kept my mouth shut, because two sets of eyes flew toward me.

Mike leaned in, eager to hear all about it, but I was keeping my mouth shut.

"Really? You were there?" he asked, excitedly. "Wait. Are you the reason they broke up? Oh my God. You are, aren't you? Edward broke up with Victoria to be with you."

Shit! Now I was going to have to do damage control. Angela beat me to it though.

"Don't be stupid, Mike. Bella's not the reason they broke up. They broke up because Edward finally realized what a skanky-assed bitch Victoria is."

Well, that shut Mike up. I think I was in a bit of shock myself. It was so strange to see Angela getting mouthy and swearing. Sadly, Angela hadn't managed to shut Tanya up.

"I'd watch what you say Angela, or Victoria might have to have a talk with you. We all know Bella's to blame and she's gonna get what's coming to her."

I arched an eyebrow at Tanya. "I'd be more concerned about what Rose is going to do to you, than about what Victoria might do to me."

At the mention of Rose's name, Tanya paled a bit under her orange spray-on tan. That's right bitch. Be afraid. Be very afraid. I couldn't wait to see what Rose had in store for Victoria and her followers. The rest of my morning flew by as quickly as the gossip was spreading in the school, and soon it was lunch. I grabbed my usual slice of pizza and a lemonade and made my way to our table.

"So how was your morning, Edward?" I asked as I sat down.

"Where to begin? I've been asked countless times why I broke up with Victoria, or asked if she broke up with me. I've been asked if I left Victoria for you, and I've been flirted with and asked out by more girls than I know what to do with," Edward said.

"Romeo, if you don't know what to do with a girl, then you've got some problems," Emmett said, grinning at Edward.

Edward threw an orange at Emmett's head.

"Douche. I know what to do with a girl, don't you worry about that."

Oh, I bet he did. I bet he knew exactly what to do. No, Bella! Stop that train of thought!

"Poor thing," I told him. "Having to fend off all those girls."

He stuck his tongue out at me. "How about you guys? Anyone giving you problems?"

Angela piped in and mentioned that Mike and Tanya had been giving me some shit, but I quickly assured Edward that it was fine. I wasn't worried about them. I wasn't even all that worried about Victoria. If she did anything to me, she would just be showing everyone the truth.

"I wouldn't worry about them too much, Bella," Rose told me. "I've got plans for all of them."

I shuddered at the way she said plans.

"You aren't going to...oh, I don't know...kill them are you?" I asked her.

She grinned at me. "Of course not. But they will wish they were dead, by the time I'm done with them."

My eyes grew as big as saucers when I heard that, I quickly and not so subtly, changed the subject. After lunch, Edward and I headed to Biology. We sat down at our table, talking and laughing like we used to, when Bree came over to us.

"Edward. I need a word with you."

He looked at me and rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Bree?"

"Can I talk to you alone?"

"No. Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Bella."

Her face flushed with anger and she shot me a glare, like it was my fault that he didn't want to talk to her alone.

"Fine. I used to think that you were a decent guy, and then you go and pull this kind of shit! It fucking pisses me off and I don't enjoy watching my best friend get played!"

"What the fuck are you on about Bree?" Edward asked, anger tinging his voice.

"Oh, please. Don't try and act all innocent. I'm talking about you fucking Bella, while you were still with Victoria. The fact that you cheated on my best friend really pisses me off."

"Before you go throwing accusations around, you need to get your facts straight. I have **never** cheated on Victoria. **Ever**! You want to know why I broke up with her? I'll tell you. It's because I finally opened my eyes to what everyone's been telling me for the past two years. That Victoria is a hateful person who talks shit about everyone and will do anything and everything to get what she wants. You consider yourself her best friend, but does she consider you hers?"

Bree was furious. I could tell she wanted to say more, but Mr. Banner walked in and started class, putting a stop to whatever crap she was about to spout.

"So...everyone thinks that you cheated on her with me?" I asked him in a whisper.

He shrugged. "Some people do, but who cares what they think. What's important is that we know the truth and that that never happened."

Although, it had almost happened, and we both knew it. Halfway through class, I needed to use the bathroom so I got a pass from Mr. Banner and made my way to the girls room. Once done, I washed my hands and turned to get some paper towels from the dispenser, when I felt someone grab a hold of my ponytail and yank it hard. What the fuck?

"We need to have a talk, bitch."

* * *

A/N: Alright folks, leave me some love. Who do you think wants to have a nice chat with Bella?


	16. Better Than Revenge

Disclaimer: Still don't own Twilight.

A/N: So how many of you stayed up to watch the Royal wedding? As much as I love all things Brits, I did not stay up to watch. I figured my invitation got lost in the mail, along with my Hogwart's letter. On with the story! Thanks to Chylex28 for her awesome beta skills.

* * *

She lives her life like it's a party and she's on the list  
She looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over it  
I think her ever present frown is a little troubling  
And, she thinks I'm psycho  
Cause I like to rhyme her name with things, but  
Sophistication isn't what you wear, or who you know  
Or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go  
Oh they didn't teach you that in prep school  
So it's up to me  
But no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity

~Better Than Revenge~ Taylor Swift

* * *

Surviving High School

"_We need to have a talk, bitch."_

I turned around as much as I could and saw Jess standing behind me, with my hair in her fist.

"Geez, Jess. You scared me!" I told her, trying to remove my hair from her grasp. "For a second there, I thought you were one of the Bitch Brigade."

Jess's hand tightened around my hair and she leaned in.

"I said, we need to have a talk."

I was thoroughly confused. "Yeah, I heard you the first time. Do you mind letting go of my hair?"

She let go and I turned to face her. Gone was the bubbly, gossipy girl, replaced with an evil clone. Her eyes were hard and she had her bitch face on.

"So...uh...what did you want to talk about?"

"Edward."

"Okay. What about him?" I asked her.

"He's mine. I've wanted him since he moved here, but Victoria snagged him before I could get to him. Now I know that you've been busy getting all cozy with the Cullens, and I don't care if you hang out with Alice, but Edward is hands off. If you're really my friend, you'll stay away from him."

I looked at her like she'd grown another head. I felt like I was in an alternate reality. There was no way my friend, Jessica Stanley, just threatened me away from Edward Cullen because she called dibs on him.

"I'm confused. You're telling me that because you have a crush on Edward, that I'm to back off and stay away from him?"

"Yes."

She sounded sincere, but this had to be a joke, right?

"Yeah, okay. So not happening," I told her, as I headed toward the bathroom door.

She reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the door.

"I mean it, Bella! Stay away from Edward. He's **mine**. I've waited years for this and I won't have you ruin it for me."

Fuck this.

"Who the fuck are you and what have you done with my friend? Seriously, Jess...have you been invaded by an alien, or maybe you've been possessed by a demon? Because this isn't like you at all."

"We may have been friends once, but I saw how quickly you were willing to give us up to hang out with the popular crowd. Then I thought, why not use that to my advantage? I figured eventually you'd ask me to hang out with you and Alice, but you never did. That really fucking pissed me off. I saw how close you were getting to Edward and I couldn't have that. I was ecstatic when Edward stopped talking to you. And then today, I find out that Edward and Victoria broke up! This is my chance, and I'll be damned if anyone ruins it for me! It's nothing personal, Bella, but I've wanted this too much, for too long."

Nothing personal? I was completely floored. I'd always considered Jessica to be one of my good friends, and to have her turn on me because of a pretty face...Well, it made me realize that I didn't know her at all.

"Screw you, Jessica. I'm not gonna stop you from going after Edward, but just know, that I'm going after him as well. May the best woman win. Good luck snagging Edward, cause you and I both know it'll never happen," I snapped at her, and then proceeded to leave the bathroom.

By the time I escaped the bathroom, there was only five minutes left in Biology, but I went back to class anyway. I handed the bathroom pass back to Mr. Banner and went back to my seat.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked me, the minute I sat down.

"Jessica."

"Stanley? What did she do?"

"Apparently, she wants you. Badly, I might add. She's just been using me to get closer to you."

The look on Edward's face was priceless. I couldn't help but giggle when I saw it. Poor Jessica. It didn't look like Edward returned her affection.

"But...what? Jessica Stanley. Ugh. No thank you. Even if I was interested, which I'm not, I sure as hell wouldn't be jumping straight into a relationship anyway. I just got out of one."

We spent the remainder of class talking, then I headed off to study hall to wait for Angela. I needed to tell her about Jessica going to the dark side. I ran into class, heading toward our usual spot in the back, and waited impatiently for her to arrive. The minute she came in and sat down, I started talking.

"You'll never believe who accosted me in the bathroom last hour!"

"Who?"

"Jessica! Apparently she has the hots for Edward and she warned me away from him. I'm in a bit of shock still."

"No."

"Yes."

"Why would she do that?" Angela inquired.

"According to her, she feels like we are no longer friends since I was more than willing to stop hanging out with you guys so I could hang out with the popular crowd. She then told me, that the only reason she stayed friends with me after that, was because she wanted to get closer to Edward and figured I'd ask her to hang out with Alice and myself. When I didn't, it just pissed her off even more. Do _you_ think I abandoned you guys?"

"No. You're allowed to have friends beside our little group. And I don't feel that you abandoned us. We've still hung out. I think that Jess is feeling jealous of you, and I'm sure Lauren fed into it."

"Oh yeah. I'm sure Lauren has something to do with it and is feeding into her delusion. That really pisses me off."

"Speaking of mean girls...Victoria, I haven't seen her today. Have you?" Angela asked me.

Come to think of it. I hadn't.

"Nope. Maybe she stayed home to avoid all the gossip. Although, it's not like it's going to go away over night."

The rest of my day went by drama free, and I was more than ready to head home. I walked over to where I had parked Chuck and noticed that I had a flat tire. Strange. I couldn't recall running over anything sharp. Maybe it was a slow leak. Thankfully, there was a spare tire in the back of the truck. However, Charlie hadn't gotten around to teaching me how to change a tire, so I was gonna have to find someone to do it for me. Looking up, I noticed Edward heading my way, or more accurately, toward his car.

"Edward!" I yelled, beckoning him over.

"What's up, Bella?"

"It seems I have a flat. Do you know how to change a tire?"

"Sure do. Let me put my bag in my car and I'll help you."

"Thanks," I said, with a smile.

He dumped his bag in the mom-mobile and headed back to me, rolling up his sleeves. While he was doing that, I grabbed the tool chest that Charlie made me keep behind my seat. I found the jack and the lug nut remover thingy and gave them to Edward.

"Thanks, Bella. Let me grab the spare tire and we'll get started."

He got the tire out of the back and rolled it over to me.

"Hold this for me, would ya?"

"Uh...sure."

I watched the muscles in his arm flex as he started removing the lug nuts and watched them flex even more, as he removed the tire. Man, he has sexy arms.

"Bella."

"Yes," I said, blushing figuring he'd caught me ogling his arms.

"It looks like someone slashed your tire."

"What?"

"Yeah. There's a big gash in it."

What the fuck! Who would do that?

I asked Edward and he didn't have any idea. He suggested Jessica, but I told him I couldn't see her doing that. Finally, my tire was changed and Edward stood up, wiping his hands on his shirt.

"Edward!" Alice screeched as she watched him wipe off his hands on his clean shirt.

"Calm down, Ali. It'll wash out. Maybe."

I shook my head at him. Such a boy thing to do. After thanking Edward profusely, I headed home, debating whether or not to mention the slashed tire to Charlie. As I pulled into the drive, I decided it was best to let him know. He'd be furious if he found out and I wasn't the one who told him.

After doing my homework, I was getting dinner ready, and heard Charlie come in the door.

"Hey, Bells! Smells good in here."

"Hey, Dad," I said, walking into the living room.

"How was school?"

"It was alright. Edward broke up with Victoria, so that was big news."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that."

I did a double take. What? Charlie had heard about it. Charlie laughed at the expression on my face.

"I ran into Carlisle today at the diner. He told me about it."

"Eating at the diner for lunch again, Dad? That's so unhealthy. Do I need to start making your lunch for you?"

"Hey! It's not that bad. If it's good enough for the Doc, then it's good enough for me."

I shook my head at him. I could just picture Charlie and the Hot Doc, sitting at the table, sipping their coffee, gossiping like little old ladies.

"Oh, Dad. Um...after school today, I went to get into Chuck and noticed that I had a flat tire. Anyway, Edward changed it for me."

"Well, that was nice of him. He's a good kid. Not like that friend of his, who enjoys running naked through the streets of Forks. So, did you run over something sharp?"

"Uh...he thought my tire might have been slashed."

"What? Where's your tire? Is in the back of the truck?"

I nodded. Charlie quickly took off to look at my tire. He came back a few minutes later, with a furious look on his face.

"It's slashed. Do you have any idea who would do such a thing?"

"No. The only person I was having problems with is Victoria, but she wasn't in school today."

The rest of the evening was spent with Charlie giving me a lecture on safety, and then handing me a purse-sized mace, warning me not to spray myself in the face with it. I almost wished I'd kept my mouth shut. After the safety lecture and dinner, I headed upstairs to read before going to bed. Before long, I fell asleep with my copy of Jane Eyre beside me.

* * *

You'd think by the time Friday rolled around, that things would have gone back to normal, but that wasn't the case. Jessica was still doing her demon-possessed impression, with Lauren backing her up all the way. Victoria had finally shown up at school and was hell bent on making not only my life hell, but the Cullens as well. I was so tired of all the drama. I never did find out who had slashed my tire, but I figured it must have been one of the Bitch Brigade. It's the only thing that really made sense. So here I am, sitting in Social Studies with Rose and Emmett flanking me, when all hell threatened to break loose. Our teacher had left the classroom to take an emergency phone call, and that was all it took. It's amazing how tenth graders can regress to kindergartners when their teacher leaves the room. Bree got out of her seat and headed toward me, with a look full of hatred aimed at me. Just as she got to my desk, Emmett and Rose both stood up, arms crossed across the chests, and a don't fuck with me look on their faces. It was comical how quickly Bree folded. She quickly turned tail and headed back to her desk, all the while shooting us evil stares.

"Thanks, guys."

"Whatever," Rose said, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder. "Oh, you **are** coming to the game tonight, right?"

I'd totally forgotten there was a game tonight, until I got to school and saw the boys in their jerseys.

"I hadn't really planned on it," I told her.

"What? Noooo, you have to come!" Emmett whined.

"Why?"

"So you can watch my hot ass run across the field."

I snorted. "Oh, Emmett. You're such a sexy beast."

Emmett turned red, while Rose busted out laughing.

"Nice, Bella. Seriously though, you **need **to come to the game," she told me.

"Again. Why?"

"Let's just say that it will be entertaining for all."

The look on her face was scary, and I knew right away that something was going to happen between Rose and Victoria. That was something I definitely didn't want to miss.

"Alright. I'll get Angela and Ben to come with me."

"Sweet!" Emmett hollered, as our teacher walked in the door.

"Mr. McCarty, could you please refrain from yelling in my classroom?"

He nodded and mimed zipping his lips, while Rose and I did our best to stifle our laughter.

Before I knew it, the day was coming to an end, and I'd only been "threatened" twice by Victoria's cronies. I was at my locker, throwing some books into, when I heard Alice hollering my name from down the hall.

"Bellllllaaa!"

"Yes, Alice?"

"Rose said you're coming to the game, right?"

"Yep. Along with Angela and Ben."

"Sweet! It's gonna be a great game! You guys coming to the diner afterward?"

"Sure. As long as Emmett doesn't throw a burger at me."

I met up with Angela and Ben, and we planned our evening before going our separate ways. Once home, I took a quick shower, changed clothes and gave Charlie a call.

"Chief Swan."

"Hey, Dad."

"Oh, hey Bells. What's up?"

"Just wanted to let you know that Angela, Ben and I are heading out to the football game and then the diner."

"Who knew that you would be so into football? Does it have something to do with a boy? It does, doesn't it?"

"Whoa, Dad. Calm down. It has nothing to do with a boy. Rose and Emmett asked if I was going and I decided it would be fun."

"Emmett, huh?"

I let out a sigh. "Dad, we've been through this. Emmett is dating Rose. We're just friends."

"Hmmph. I'd better not find him streaking after the game," he warned.

I shuddered, horrified at the thought.

"That's the last thing I want to see. Don't worry. I don't think Rose would let him streak."

We chatted for a few more minutes, and then I finished getting ready. A little after six, the bell rang, letting me know that Ben and Angela were here. I grabbed my wallet and keys and headed out the door.

"Hey gang," I said as I climbed into Ben's car.

"Hey, Bells. Would you look at us, going out on a Friday night? If we're not careful, people might start to think we have a social life," Ben told me.

"Oh no! Heaven forbid that we get a social life!"

We pulled into the parking lot and found a spot way in the back, and headed toward the bleachers. We found some spots in the middle, near Dr. and Mrs. Cullen.

"Hello, Bella dear!" Mrs. Cullen said, waving her hand at me.

I smiled and waved back, watching as Dr. Hot leaned down and gave her a kiss on her cheek. They were so sweet, and obviously still so in love. I wanted that. I turned to my right to mention it to Angela, and noticed that she and Ben were talking quietly, heads close together, hands clasped. I let out a lonely sigh. Sometimes it sucked being a singleton. Before I could dwell on that train of thought, the cheerleaders came running out onto the field, cheering.

As we watched them start to get into formation for some kind of cheer, Victoria managed to stumble and fall into the girl beside her. The look on Victoria's face made us bust out giggling. Rose was standing next to Victoria, shooting her a disapproving look, although there was no doubt in my mind that Rose was the reason for Victoria's stumble. Victoria pulled herself together, and they start doing some cheer about rooting for the home team or something like that. I wasn't paying much attention to the cheer, but I was focusing on Victoria, waiting to see what else Rose had up her sleeve. I didn't have to wait long. They began the next cheer, but it was plain as day that Victoria had no idea what they were doing. The girls got into a line and were doing some kind of line dance that Victoria was woefully unprepared for. I was dying. She just stood there, with a confused look on her face, trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually, she figured it out, but by then it was too late. She looked like an idiot. The girls moved to the sidelines as the team came onto the field, and I saw Victoria arguing with Rose. I was quickly distracted by the guys running onto the field and doing some stretches. I spotted Emmett right away and wished I'd made him a sign. One that said, Emmett is our sexy beast. Oh, what I would give for some poster board and markers right now. As my gaze moved over the field, I saw Edward bending over and was struck dumb. Oh yeah! That boy had an ass on him. I let out a lusty sigh, which Angela overheard.

"See something you like?" she asked me in a whisper.

I gave her the death glare. "Oh, shut up."

She gave me a knowing grin. "He does have a nice butt."

"Who has a nice butt?" Ben asked.

"No one," I told him as Angela said, "Edward."

"Why are you checking out other guys' butts?"

"I'm not. Bella was."

"Oh really?" he asked, looking around Angela at me. "Does Cullen know that you're checking out his ass?"

"What? No! I'm not checking out his ass!" I denied.

I was met with identical looks of disbelief. Nosy brats!

"Hey, I wonder what Victoria and Rose are arguing about?" I asked, in an attempt to distract them.

We looked toward the sidelines and saw that Victoria was all up on Rose, and Rose was doling it right back. Oh what I would give to hear what was being said. The other cheerleaders were standing off to the side, looking like they were trying to avoid the drama unfolding between their co-captains. Alice was standing near Rose, ready to defend should she need to. The drama soon stopped as the game continued. I spent the first half of the game screaming, cheering, and drooling over Edward from afar. Halftime arrived and I excused myself to use the restroom and grab a bottle of water from one of the vending machines. On my way back to the bleachers, I overheard some girls talking about what had gone down between Rose and Victoria.

"O.M.G. Did you hear what Victoria was saying to Rosalie?"

I scooted quietly into the corner and continued to eavesdrop, shamelessly.

"No. What did she say?"

"She accused Rosalie of pushing her when they first came onto the field. How stupid is that? It was obvious that she tripped. Then she accused Rosalie of changing the dance routine and not letting her know."

"No way! They're co-captains. How on earth would Rosalie be able to change the dance routine without Victoria knowing? I think Victoria's just trying to cover her ass, by starting shit."

"I know, right. I heard that she's so distraught over the breakup, that she's just fucking everything up."

"Well, I heard that Rosalie is running for Homecoming Queen and Victoria wants her out of the way. I think Rosalie needs to watch her back," a third voice chimed in.

"No shit! I would totally vote for Rosalie over Victoria. I bet Victoria is trying to get people to hate Rosalie, so that she can be Homecoming Queen again."

I'd heard enough, so I cautiously eased away, not wanting to bring attention to myself. Of course, we all know me. I managed to bang my shin into the metal garbage can near the stairs. The girls who had been talking looked over at me and gave me small smiles. I smiled back and started making my way to my seat. I was halfway to my seat when Mrs. Cullen called me over.

"Bella, dear. How are you?" she asked, as she gave me a motherly hug.

I hugged her back and told her that I was fine. We spent the next few minutes talking about the game, and then she invited Charlie and I over for Sunday dinner.

"That would be great! I'm sure Charlie would love it. Do you need us to bring anything?"

"Just yourselves. Dinner will be at six."

I thanked her again for the invite, and was getting ready to climb up the bleachers, when I saw Jessica and Lauren talking with Angela and Ben. Not wanting to get involved in any more drama, I hung around the Cullens a few minutes more. The crowd cheered as the players came back onto the field, so I sucked it up and headed back to my seat. I gave Jessica and Lauren a curt nod, and started talking to Ben.

"What are they doing over here?" I whispered in his ear.

"Causing drama, like the queens that they are," he whispered back.

"Might want to keep an eye out on Bella, Angela. Apparently, Bella doesn't seem to realize that other people's boyfriends are off limits. Looks like she's getting awfully cozy with your man," Jessica sneered.

Angela stood up and faced Jessica.

"You know what, Jess? I've had it with your snide remarks. I don't know what's gotten into you, or what your problem is, but I'm sick of it! If you can't act civilly, then you need to go. We've always been friends. You, me, and Bella. But this past week you've been acting like Victoria. I don't like it."

Jessica looked floored that Angela would compare her to Victoria. "What are you on about, Angela? I'm **nothing **like Victoria!" she spat out.

"Yes, you are. Victoria told Bella to stay away from Edward, and now here you are doing the same."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've seen the way you've been acting and it sickens me. I won't be friends with someone who treats their other friends like garbage. Clean up your act."

By the time Angela was done talking, Jessica was seething. I could tell she wanted to say more, but Lauren said something in Jessica's ear and they stomped off.

"I'm so sorry, Angie. I never meant to put you in that kind of predicament."

"It's not your fault. Like I told you before, Jessica is jealous of your popularity, and Lauren is exploiting that weakness. I meant what I said. I don't want to be friends with her if she's going to act like Victoria."

I gave Angela a hug and thanked her for being such a good friend. The game ended with us as the victors, yet again. So far we were undefeated, and while normally I wouldn't care, I found myself having just a bit of school spirit. We started making our way down the bleachers, and I told Dr. Hot and Mrs. Cullen goodbye and that I'd see them on Sunday. Once we climbed into Ben's car, Angela asked me what was going on, on Sunday.

"Oh, the Cullens invited Charlie and I to Sunday dinner."

"That's so nice of them."

I nodded. "They really are great people. I love Mrs. Cullen. She's like the mom, Renee never was."

I then proceeded to tell them everything I'd overheard at the game regarding Bitchtoria and Rose. We spent the rest of the drive to the diner discussing what else Rose might be up to, but then decided that we'd rather be surprised to see what she had up her sleeve. We pulled into the diner parking lot and found a spot near the mom-mobile.

Ben and Angela had gotten out of the car, and I somehow managed to get myself entangled in the seat belt. After fighting my way out of it, I stumbled getting out of the car. A strong, warm hand wrapped itself around my elbow.

"Alright there, Bella?" Edward asked me.

"You bet. Just had a minor fight with the seat belt," I told him, blushing.

"Seeing as how you managed to get out alive, I'm assuming that you won?"

I grinned up at him. "Obviously."

He grinned back at me, and I felt my heart race, and we headed inside the crowded diner. We entered the building, I realized that his hand was still on my elbow, guiding me along. We headed toward the tables in the back, where I noticed Rose and Emmett were sitting, along with Alice and Jasper.

"Hey, hey Frank! How'd you like the game?" Emmett asked me as he picked me up in a hug, squashing me.

"It was great! Now let go of me, you buffoon!"

Emmett grinned and let go of me, causing me to stumble into Edward. He placed a hand on my lower back to steady me, and then pulled out a chair for me, next to Alice. I thanked him and took my seat. Edward sat down beside me, with Ben and Angela across from me.

"So, Rose...what happened with Victoria earlier? It seemed like she forgot what she was supposed to be doing?" Ben asked.

Rose threw a smirk his way and said, "Apparently, she didn't get the memo that we had changed the dance routine. It's not my fault she failed to pay attention."

We all grinned at that. Even Edward.

"Well, I overheard some girls talking at the game and they were saying that you have their vote for Homecoming Queen. They're sick of the way Victoria is treating people."

"Good. My plan is coming along quite nicely," she said. I almost expected her to start rubbing her hands like an evil genius in a movie would.

The waitress came over and took our order. Once again, Emmett ordered enough to feed an army. I let him know, in no uncertain terms, that there was not to be a repeat of the last time we were all at the diner. No food throwing. He looked so sad when I said that. He spent the next five minutes pouting, but I wasn't changing my mind. Twenty minutes later, I was taking a sip from my strawberry milkshake, Edward had his arm around the back of my chair, and Jasper was asking Emmett to tell us a ghost story.

"You should tell it, Jas. You're a much better story teller than I am," Emmett told him.

"Fine. But if I get something wrong, you can't blame me, since you refuse to tell it."

So Jasper began telling us one of the lamest ghost stories I've ever heard. I had a feeling that he was going to mess it up on purpose, just to piss Emmett off.

"So the maid, Macy McDoomed, who worked in the lodge about twenty miles from here, fell in love with the gardener. A few weeks later, a family, we'll call them the Dickweeds, came to stay at the lodge for a family vacation. The rich son, Dick..."

"Wait. The son's name is Dick Dickweed?" I interrupted.

"Yes. Now as I was saying, the rich son, Dick Dickweed, fell in lust with the young maid. Being the rich asshole that he was, he figured that she would immediately fall in love with him and give it up. Well, she didn't. So he claimed that the gardener stole a very expensive watch from him. The gardener was arrested and charged. Macy was distraught and asked Dick to help prove the gardener's innocence. Well, Dick being the dick that he was, told her he'd help, but she had to sleep with him. So, Macy McDoomed..."

"Man, with a name like that, you know this story isn't going to end well," I said.

"Bella. I'm trying to tell a story here..."

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Anyway, so Macy McDoomed agrees to sleep with Dick. Only when the trial comes, Dick Dickweed fails to uphold his end of the bargain. Months later, Macy dies alone in the snow and no one hears from the gardener ever again. So then like thirty years later, Dick Dickweed comes back to the lodge with his family in tow, and one day the lodge explodes, killing Dickweed's family. Apparently, Dick Dickweed vanished into the woods, crazy with grief, but everyone knows that the gardener kidnapped Dick, torturing him for years and when he finally lets Dick go, he's completely crazy. He still wanders the area at night."

"Doing what? Terrorizing children who don't eat their vegetables?" I asked.

Emmett pointed his fork at me. "Just you wait, Bella. One of these days, when you least expect it, he's gonna get you."

"Okay, Emmett," I said, laughing.

Things had been going so well, so it was only a matter of time till the drama arrived. And arrive it did. We were making fun of Emmett's lame story, when a shadow fell over me. I looked up and saw Victoria, Bree, and Tanya glaring down at me, and at the arm Edward had resting on the back of my chair.

"Here we go," I mumbled under my breath.

"Hello everyone," Victoria said, rather coolly.

We all mumbled hellos, but not one of us meant it. Without being invited, the three girls sat down on the opposite side of Edward, and I saw him scoot his chair closer to me. Great. I'm sure that didn't go unnoticed by them.

"So what were you all taking about?" Tanya asked us.

"A ghost story," Jasper told her.

"Oh. I love ghost stories," she said, batting her eyes at him.

"Something wrong with your eye?" he asked her.

Tanya's face turned bright red, and she let out a huff, before turning to whisper something to Bree. Victoria, on the other hand, was taking turns glaring at me, Edward, and Rose.

"Rose. I need a word with you."

"So talk," Rose mumbled around a mouth full of burger.

"What are you up to?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, c'mon! Do you think I'm stupid?"

Did she want an answer to that?

"Probably not," Edward whispered in my ear.

Oh shit! Had I said that out loud? Apparently, I had.

"I know you're up to something. First you pushed me, and then you went and changed the dance routine and didn't fucking tell me. If you think you can scare me away or force me to hand over sole captaincy to you, you're wrong."

"First off, Victoria, you tripped all by yourself. With a little help from me. Second of all, you're the co-captain. It's up to you to pay attention to what's going on around you, including changes made to the routines. Don't blame me because you failed to pay attention. As for scaring you away...please bitch. We all know you're scared of me. And it's not just sole captaincy that I want. I want it all, and I will get it."

Emmett sat back, arms over his chest, with a shit eating grin across his face. There was no doubt that he was proud of his Rosie. I gave Rose a subtle thumbs up, as did Edward. Victoria did not look happy by what Rose had to say. She stood up and stalked over to Rose's chair.

"I am not scared of you!" she declared, staring down at Rose.

Rose suddenly stood up, causing Victoria to take a few steps back.

"Really?" she asked, with a brow arched.

"Don't mess with me, Rosalie. It won't end well for you!" she hissed.

Rose let out a yawn. "Yeah, I'm quaking in fear. You need to work on your performance. You can do whiny bitch really well, but your mean bitch needs work. You're nothing but talk. You always go after the little people, but now you're messing with the big dogs. Give it up already. You're over. The ballots for homecoming are coming out Monday, and my name is on it. I guarantee that I will win that crown. If you try to come after me, remember this, there is nothing I do better than revenge."

* * *

A/N: Alright folks, you know the drill. Let me know what you think. Rec of the week: A Thousand Leaves by Flabella


	17. Aftermath

Disclaimer: Do I have millions of dollars? No. Did my books get made into a movie starring one hot, Rob Pattinson? No. Guess, I still don't own Twilight.

A/N: Wait. What is this? Another update so soon? Why yes, yes it is. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Chylex28, where would I be without your grammatical genius and you're brilliant ideas? Don't answer that.

* * *

Wanna scream out, no more hiding  
Don't be afraid of what's inside  
Gonna tell ya you'll be alright  
In the aftermath

Anytime anybody pulls you down  
Anytime anybody says you're not allowed  
Just remember you are not alone  
In the aftermath

~Aftermath~ by Adam Lambert

* * *

Surviving High School

"Bells?" Charlie asked, while shaking my shoulder.

"What?" I snapped, from beneath my warm covers.

"Just wanted to let you know that I'm going fishing with Billy this morning."

Seriously? He woke me up at oh-my-God-O'Clock to tell me this? I peeked out from under the covers and gave him my best death stare.

"I know, Dad! You always go fishing with Billy at the crack of dawn. No need to wake me up and tell me."

He let out a hmmph, muttered something about ungrateful children, and told me he'd see me later. I snuggled back under my covers and fell quickly back to sleep. When I woke up again, the sun was shining through my curtains, illuminating my room. I glanced at the clock and noticed it was a little after eleven. It was then that I realized that the sun was out. This was great! Seeing as how the sun rarely made an appearance, I decided that I'd have a picnic by myself and get in some quality reading time in the sun. Once I'd showered and dressed, I headed to the kitchen, where I quickly made a lunch. I threw my lunch, along with a blanket and my book, into an old picnic basket. I heard a knocking on the door, just as I was about to head out the back. I headed to the front door and got the shock of my life when I opened it. There, standing on my front porch, was none other than Renee.

"Bella! Oh honey, it's so good to see you!" she shouted in my ear as she grabbed me up in a huge hug.

I stood there in shock, unable to bring myself to hug her. What the hell was she doing here?

"Well...aren't you glad to see me?"

"Uh...yeah. Sorry. I'm in a bit of shock. I certainly didn't expect to see you," I told her, truthfully.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Um...yeah. Come on in," I said, leading her into the house.

She sat down on the couch and pulled me down next to her.

"Still looks the same," she muttered.

Looking around, I realized that she was right. Charlie wasn't much for change, so the living room had stayed much the same. Although now that he was dating Sue, there were a few feminine touches throughout the place. Some candles and flowers on the coffee table, but that was about it. Of course, she zoomed right in on those.

"Flowers? Charlie doesn't strike me as the type to put flowers around the house," she said, fishing for information. If she wanted information, I'd give it to her.

"Oh, that's Sue's doing."

"Sue? Sue who?"

"Sue Clearwater."

"Why is Sue bringing Charlie flowers?" she questioned. Why did it matter? It's not like she and Charlie were still married.

"Cause they're dating."

"What?" she screeched. "Charlie is dating **her**! But she's married!"

"No she isn't. Harry died a few years ago," I said. "Of course, if you had bothered to stick around, you would know that," I muttered under my breath. Unfortunately, I wasn't quiet enough, because she heard me.

"I didn't bother to stick around because this place was sucking me dry! I had to leave!"

"So running away while Dad was at work and I was at school was the best idea you had? You couldn't be bothered to sit down and discuss things with Dad?"

"Please. Charlie loves this freaking town. He would never leave. I knew that, so I left instead."

"Why are you here?" I asked. I just wanted her gone. She was ruining a perfectly good Sunday.

"I wanted to talk to you about moving to Florida with me."

Are you freaking kidding me?

"We've already discussed this. I'm not moving!"

"Oh grow up, Bella! You'll end up leaving when you go off to college anyways. So what's the big deal if you end up moving to Florida for your senior year?"

I gritted my teeth. Did the woman just not understand?

"I'm going to say this one last time, Mom. I. Am. Not. Moving to Florida."

"But why? I never get to spend time with you. You chose to stay and live with Charlie and I think it's about time you came to live with me. It's time you put me ahead of Charlie! What about my feelings?"

Oh, hell no! The bitch did not just go there.

"First off, Renee, I didn't choose to live with Dad. You disappeared and left me with him. Not that I'm complaining about that. I would rather live with Dad than with you, any day. As for your feelings, did you even think about our feelings when you left? No! You didn't! You just took off, only caring about yourself. And the only one you have to blame for not seeing me, is yourself. We've been over this before. You chose not to spend time with me, and instead spent your time finding your next husband. You know what? I'm done," I said and got up, headeding into the kitchen to give Charlie a call and let him know who had shown up.

"Isabella! You get back here! I'm not done talking to you!"

I was stopped at the entryway to the kitchen, but didn't turn around. "You know what, Renee. If there's one thing I know you know, it's how to leave. So don't let the door hit you on the way out."

I was furious. Livid. If she didn't leave within the next five minutes, I'd call the station and have her thrown out. My hands were shaking as I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Charlie's number.

"Hey, Bells!" he answered.

"Hey, Dad."

"What's up, kiddo?"

"Renee is here."

"She's what?"

"She's here. In the living room. I told her to leave."

"What do you mean she's in the living room?"

"I mean, she's in the living room. She showed up about twenty minutes ago. Wanted to discuss me moving to Florida."

"Is she still there?"

"I don't know. I'll go check."

I tiptoed into the living room and saw that she was gone. I wasn't sure where she went, but I was grateful she wasn't around anymore.

"She left. I don't know where she went, but I'm glad she's gone. You didn't know that she was coming did you?"

"Of course not. Do you really think I'd leave you to deal with her, while I went fishing?"

"Uh...no."

"Good answer. Anyway, the fish aren't biting, so I'll be home soon. We can talk more then, okay?"

"Sounds good. See ya in a bit, Dad."

I wasn't about to let Renee ruin my whole day, so I went ahead with my picnic. I found a nice spot in the backyard, laid out my blanket, got my food, and read till Charlie got home. Less than an hour later, I heard Charlie pull into the drive. I gathered up my stuff and headed back inside.

"Dad!"

"Hey, Bells!" he said, giving me a hug, which was out of character for him. I think Renee's unexpected visit had shaken us both up, cause I hung onto him for a few minutes. We sat down on the couch and he looked at me.

"How you holding up?"

"I'm alright. A bit shaken that she would show up out of the blue like that. I already told her I didn't want to live with her, but I guess she thought she could change my mind. Which she can't. I told her once again, that I'm not leaving Forks to live with her."

"Good for you. Hopefully she'll accept your answer. Wonder if the new husband knows she's up here?" he mused.

I shrugged. I didn't know or care. Charlie and I spent the next few hours watching TV and talking. I also decided to bake some brownies, despite the fact that Mrs. Cullen told me I didn't need to bring anything. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the Cullens'. I really didn't want to arrive at the Cullens' in the cruiser, but Charlie didn't want to drive my truck.

"I always feel like a felon when I'm riding in this," I told him, as I buckled up.

Charlie let out a snort and told me to get over it. I gave him directions to the Cullen house and his eyes grew big as we pulled up to it.

"Holy hell! This is a huge house!" he exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"Yep. But it's very cozy. Mrs. Cullen is an amazing interior designer, and the inside is beautiful."

We climbed the steps and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Cullen opened the door, looking stunning as always. She reached out and gave me a hug, and Charlie a handshake.

"Come in, come in!" she said, ushering us into the foyer, as I handed her the container of brownies.

"Bella! I told you you didn't have to bring anything," she admonished me.

I gave her a smile and told her that I wanted to. Besides, you can never have too much dessert. She showed us to the living room, where Dr. Hot, Edward, and Alice were, and told us to make ourselves comfortable. I quickly headed toward Alice and Edward, leaving the two men to gossip and tell lies, or whatever it is that men do.

"Hey, guys."

"Hey, Bella! I'm so glad you came! Sorry, we couldn't hang out yesterday, but Mom and I ended up going shopping!" Alice squealed out in a matter of seconds.

I laughed at her enthusiasm. "I love your mom's cooking, so I wasn't about to turn it down."

"Hi, Bella," Edward said quietly, from his seat next to Alice.

"Hi, Edward. How's it going?"

"Eh. It's going. Been doing homework all day."

We all made faces at that. We sat there talking about nothing for the next twenty minutes, until Mrs. Cullen called us to dinner. We all sat at the table and I inhaled the delicious aroma of home-made fried chicken, biscuits, corn, and mashed potatoes. Oh man, would Emmett ever be jealous of this. I took out my phone, and quickly took a picture of all the food laid out on the table and then sent the picture to Emmett. Mean, I know.

"Who are you sending pictures to?" Edward asked, from beside me.

"Emmett," I replied with a smirk.

He busted out laughing. I loved his laugh. It made me want to just reach over and kiss him. Although, Charlie might have a problem with that. My phone beeped, alerting me that I had a new message. I opened it up and saw that Emmett had texted me back.

_You're cruel! Just plain evil! We can't be friends anymore._

I giggled at his response. I showed it to Edward and he flashed that panty-dropping grin. Soon, we were all eating delicious food and conversation was flowing freely across the table.

"Edward.." Charlie began.

Edward looked up from his plate and met Charlie's gaze. "Yes, sir?"

"I wanted to thank you for looking out for my girl the other day. I appreciate it."

I looked at Edward and noticed a light blush on his cheeks. "I was glad that I could help, sir."

The Cullen parents looked confused, so Charlie told them how Edward had helped change my tire and noticed that it was slashed. The rest of dinner passed quickly, with Emmett texting me about how cruel I was the whole time. After dinner was over, and the dishes cleared, Alice, Edward and I all headed down to the den, while Charlie hung out with Dr. and Mrs. Cullen.

I sat down on the plush couch, stretched out, and declared that I was never going to move again. Edward and Alice laughed at me, as Edward plopped down next to me, and Alice turned the TV on. We found a crime show that we all liked, and were quickly sucked into it.

"What did you do today, Bella?" Alice asked me from her spot on the floor.

"Not much. Slept late, had a picnic, read. And then Renee showed up," I added, nonchalantly.

"Wait. Hold up," Alice said, getting up to sit on the couch arm next to me. "Your mother, the one who just got remarried again, showed up today? In Forks?"

I nodded. "Apparently, she thought she could change my mind and get me to move to Florida with her."

Edward was sitting next to me with a puzzled expression on his face. "I'm confused. Why would your mom want you to move to Florida?"

I quickly explained the whole Renee situation to Edward. He reached over, put his arm around me, and gave me a light squeeze.

"I'm sorry that you have to deal with that, Bella. So she showed up today, asking you to live with her?"

"Yeah. I already told her that I didn't want to move to Florida with her, but she didn't listen. So today, I was more than shocked when she showed up on the doorstep. I mean, who does that? Who does she think she is, just popping back into my life whenever it's convenient for her? I flat out told her that I don't want to live with her and that she needed to leave," I ranted, all the while hyper aware that Edward's arm was around me.

"Did she go?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, but...I have a feeling she isn't gone for long."

"How did your dad take it?"

"He was out fishing, so he had no idea till I called him. He was pissed that she showed up unannounced. He wondered if her new husband even knew that she was here."

"Does he?"

"No idea. I don't really care. I just want her to leave. God, she's such a selfish bitch!" I took a deep breath, to calm myself, then apologized. "Sorry. I guess I needed to get that off my chest."

Edward squeezed my shoulder again. "We're your friends, Bella. Anytime you need to talk or vent, you can always call one of us."

"Kinda hard to do when she doesn't have your number," Alice said. Edward quickly remedied that. He grabbed my phone that I had set on the table, and added his number in. I tried not to let it show how excited I was that I had Edward Cullen's number in my phone, but I'm pretty sure Alice knew. She sat there with a smirk on her face.

At around nine, Charlie came down the stairs to inform me that it was time to go. He was momentarily distracted by the huge flat screen on the wall. Granted, he had a nice sized flat screen, but theirs was huge. A few minutes of drooling on Charlie's part, and then we headed out, saying our thanks and good nights. The ride home was quiet, our bellies full of wonderful food. We pulled into the drive, and I noticed the light in my room was on. I hadn't turned it on, and I let Charlie know that. Charlie told me to stay in the car, as he got out and cautiously made his way to the porch. I was terrified that someone had broken into our house, and he was going in, unarmed. His gun was locked up in the house, but what if, whoever was in there got a hold of it? They could hurt him! They could kill him! I couldn't sit there and let something bad happen to him. I got out of the car and moved as quietly as I could toward the house. I had my hand on the doorknob when I heard yelling.

"Dammit, Renee! What the hell are you doing in my house?" I heard Charlie yell.

I let out a sigh of relief that it wasn't a crazy burglar. Then, I let out an exasperated sigh when I heard that it was my crazy mother. Cautiously, I stepped onto the porch, and peeked into the living room and saw Charlie and Renee were having a standoff.

"Oh calm down, Charlie. It used to be my house too."

"Well, it isn't now! Why are you here, Renee? I thought you'd left."

"I just wanted to talk to Bella again, once she'd calmed down."

Before, I could say anything, Charlie spoke up.

"I'm pretty sure Bella has said all she needs to say to you. I know she told you to leave, and I think that's what you should do. Cut your losses."

"Don't tell me what to do, Charlie! God, you're so selfish! All I want is for Bella to live with me for one fucking year! But no. You've poisoned her against me! Told her lies, so now she doesn't want to spend time with me!" she screeched, hysterically.

"Don't even go there, Renee. **You** left us. **You **walked out of this house, and out of this family. I didn't have to tell Bella a thing. She sees you for who you are. Now, I'm telling you to leave."

"I'm not ready to leave."

"Fine. Then I'll arrest you for breaking and entering. Your choice."

I could practically feel the anger coming off of Renee in waves. I backed away from the door, and down the steps, just in case she did something rash.

"Fuck you, Charlie! Fuck you! You're always out to ruin my life!"

I heard Charlie let out a sharp bark of laughter. "Wow, you haven't changed a bit. Still selfish. Tell me, Renee. Does your new husband know where you are and what you're doing?"

"Leave Phil out of this! You always ruin everything!"

"I don't have time, nor do I want, to listen to this. Just leave, Renee. Just leave and don't ever come back. Oh and Renee, give me back the key you took from under the flower pot."

I heard Renee yell some more obscenities at Charlie, and then she stomped out of the house, full of rage. I had backed away, so I was standing next to the cruiser. The look she shot me, was full of hatred and loathing.

"Well, I hope you're happy, Bella. You've made me out to be the bad guy in all of this, when all I wanted was to spend some time with my daughter. I'll be waiting for your apology," she told me, then stomped off to her rental that was parked down the street. I shook my head and walked inside.

Charlie was standing in the living room, looking furious. It seemed as though Renee had made herself at home while we were at dinner. She'd removed the candles and flowers that Sue had set out. I found them in the garbage in the kitchen. I dug them out, washed them off, and put them back on the coffee table. I was afraid to find out what else she'd moved around. I told Charlie that I was going to my room to make sure she hadn't taken anything. Charlie followed me up the stairs, going into his room while I went into mine. The bedding was a bit tousled, my bookshelf had been rifled through, and it looked like my mattress had been moved a bit. I noticed that my computer was on, but seeing as how it's password protected, she wasn't able to get into it. What the fuck had she been looking for?

"Anything missing?" Charlie asked me, coming into my room.

"No, but she did rifle through all my stuff. I don't know what she was looking for."

"A diary, maybe?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. I don't keep one though."

An hour later, I had clean sheets on the bed, had straightened my room up and had taken a shower, in the hopes of washing away the bad vibe that Renee had left behind. I turned off my light, climbed into bed and laid there, replaying the day in my head. I was so angry with Renee. I felt as if the universe was out to get me. Just one drama after another. I was so fucking tired of it. And then Edward's words came back to me, telling me to call anytime I needed to talk. Before I realized what I was doing, I was calling Edward. His phone rang a few times and I thought perhaps he might be asleep, but then he picked up.

"Bella Swan. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

"Hi, Edward. I...uh...needed someone to talk to and I remembered what you said earlier today and of course I just realized that I could have called Alice instead, so if I'm bothering you, I'll just call her," I rambled out.

"Bella. Take a breath. It's fine. I meant what I said. You can talk to me about anything, anytime. So tell me what's on your mind."

"Today has been horrible, with the exception of dinner at your parents house. I mean, you already know about the whole Renee fiasco that happened earlier. So we got home from your place, and I saw a light on that I know I didn't leave on. Charlie and I thought someone had broken in and someone had."

"Oh no!"

"Yeah, well it turned out that Renee was the one who broke in. Apparently, she came back after I kicked her out, and let herself in using the spare key Charlie keeps under a flower pot..."

"Wait. The Chief of police hides a key under a flower pot? That doesn't seem very safe."

"Right. And to think he lectures me about safety. Hmmph. I think I'll be discussing that with him tomorrow. Anyway, Charlie had told me to stay in the car while he investigated, but of course I couldn't do that. If there was someone in there who was armed and dangerous, Charlie would need backup."

"You do realize that you would probably more of a hindrance than help? Especially considering your issues with gravity."

"Anyway," I said, talking over him, "it turns out it was Renee. So she and Charlie duke it out. With words. Not fists. Although that would have been a sight to see. But Charlie pretty much told her she made her bed, now go lie in it. He told her not to come back or he'd arrest her for breaking and entering. So she storms out, and of course she sees me standing there, and tells me that she'll be waiting for my apology. **My** apology! Can you believe that? She's the one who came here and started shit and now it's all my fault! I'm just so fucking angry at her! As if I don't have enough drama in my life, she has to go and bring more," I ranted, and then to my horror I felt tears start to well up in eyes. I took a ragged breath, refusing to let the traitorous tears fall.

"Aw, Bella. I'm so sorry you have to deal with all of this. If there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask me," he said, his beautiful voice full of sincerity.

"Your listening has been a big help," I told him, my voice thick with tears.

"Hey. No tears, Bella," he said, gently. "She's not worth crying over. If anyone owes anyone an apology, it's her. She left you, and in doing so, she missed seeing what a wonderful person you are. And you **are** a wonderful person. You're kind, sweet, selfless."

Oh great. Now I was going to cry for a whole other reason. Why did he have to go and be so nice?

"And you're totally forgiven," I told him. Yes, I forgave him. Hell, I'd forgiven him a while ago, but I felt the need to let him know. Maybe all the drama had caused damage to my brain.

"I wasn't saying those things so that you'd forgive me."

"I know. But you are forgiven. I have a hard time staying mad for long. But I swear, if you **ever** act like that again, there will be no second chances."

"I, solemnly swear that I will never treat you like that ever again," he promised, and I believed him. "By the way, Mom and Dad absolutely love you."

"At least someone's mom loves me, seeing as my own doesn't," I said, trying to joke about it, despite the hurt that I felt.

"Bella," he admonished me softly, "I'm sure your mom loves you in her own warped way. Some people just have trouble showing others how much they care for them. Take my Dad's mom. She's a total nightmare sometimes. She's always criticizing someone; especially Mom. Even after all these years, she treats my mom like garbage, but you know my mom. She tolerates it to a point, then she gives it back. They have a love/hate relationship. It used to really piss me off that Grandmother Cullen acted like that, but Mom told me that some people have a hard time expressing their feelings, or more accurately, expressing love."

I thought about what he said, and mulled it over a bit. I'm sure he was right. Renee probably did love me in her own fucked up way.

"Yeah, you're probably right. It still hurts though. That she was so willing to just throw us away, and then expects me to be at her beck and call whenever she wants."

"I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through, Bella, but don't forget that you've got a great dad."

"So true. Charlie is awesome! Especially today, dealing with Renee."

"Can I ask you something, Bella?"

"Sure."

"Why do you call your dad, Charlie?"

"I have no idea. It's funny, cause I don't call him Charlie to his face. When I was three, I went around calling him Chief Swan because that's what everyone else called him. Granted, I wanted everyone to call me Princess Jasmine that year."

Edward let out one of his wonderful laughs. "Don't tell Emmett that, or he'll start calling you your royal highness."

He had a point. "I don't plan on telling him that. And you'd better not either. I'm trusting you, Cullen."

"I won't say a word," he swore to me.

We talked for about a half hour more, then both said goodnight to each other. I fell asleep, with thoughts of Edward running through my head. And they were delicious thoughts.

* * *

I'd had the aforethought to make extra brownies yesterday, so I grabbed some and put them in a Tupperware container to share with Emmett, Rose, Angela, and Ben. I pulled into the school parking lot next, to Emmett, and got out.

"Hey, Bella," Rose greeted me.

"Hey, Rose. Hey, Emmett."

"Hello, Cruella Deville," he said to me.

Oh, so that's how it was going to be. Fine. If he was going to act like that, then he wouldn't be getting any brownies. Rose rolled her eyes and informed me that he'd been acting childish since I'd sent him the food picture. He was such a loveable dork. The morning flew by. I made a pit stop at my locker to grab the brownies, before heading to the cafeteria. I made my way over to our table and plopped the container of brownies in the center. Emmett's eyes grew wide when he spotted it. He made a move to grab the container, but I quickly put it out of his reach. He looked at me, with his big sad eyes, and pouted.

"Nuh uh. I was going to give you some, but then you called me Cruella Deville. I'm not so sure you deserve any after that."

"Please, Bella! Please, please, please," he whined.

I finally gave in. I couldn't take the whining anymore.

"Holy shit, Betty Crocker! These are freaking fantastic!" Emmett yelled around a mouthful of chocolatey goodness. We all laughed at his exuberance.

A few minutes before lunch ended, the Homecoming ballot came out. Sure enough, Rose's name was listed under candidates for queen. I noticed that both Edward and Emmett's names were down for king, and Alice and Jasper's names were listed under the court section.

"Holy hell, Bells. Did you see this?" Ben asked me.

"See what?"

He handed me one of the ballots, and there, listed under the court, was my name. What the fuck? I had no desire to be a part of Homecoming. I would go to the game and support the team, but I wasn't going to the dance. And I sure as heck, didn't want to be on the Homecoming Court.

"What the hell? I don't want my name on there! Who put my name down?" I asked, then turned my gaze to Alice.

"Hey, don't look at me. I didn't do it."

No one at our table had done it, which left me feeling a bit uneasy that someone I didn't know had put my name down. Perhaps it was an evil scheme hatched by Bitchtoria and the Bitch Brigade. Although, I couldn't really see what the purpose would be, other than to piss me off. Lunch ended, so Edward, Alice, Angela and I all headed toward Biology. Last week, we had finished up dissections, for which I was eternally grateful. This week, we would be learning about leaf pigmentation or something. Couldn't be any worse than dissecting a baby pig. Edward and I made our ways to our table, talking quietly as we took our seats.

"How are you holding up today?"

"Pretty good. Thanks again, for listening to me vent last night."

He smiled that gorgeous smile. "Anytime. I mean it."

Mr. Banner came in, and soon we were immersed in learning about why leaves change colors. I'd never really thought about it before, but seeing as how we lived in an area with lots of leaves, I guess I could see why Mr. Banner wanted to teach us this. It seemed like this project would be fairly easy, not that that would stop me from asking Edward for help. I had just finished taking notes on photosynthesis, when the principal came into our room. He quickly scanned the room and asked to speak to Edward and Alice. Edward shot Alice a puzzled look, and they went out to the hall. A few minutes later, they both came rushing back in, fear on their faces, grabbed their packs and left. I was immediately worried. The rest of class dragged by, and I kept checking my phone to see if I had any messages from either Alice or Edward. Once class was over, I sent a quick text to both of them, asking if everything was alright, and then went to my next class. I ran into Jasper in the hallway and asked him if he knew what was going on.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Bella."

"Oh. The principal came in and pulled Edward and Alice out of class last hour. They looked upset. I sent them a text asking if everything was okay, but haven't heard anything yet," I told him.

We exchanged numbers and promised to let the other know what was going on. I failed to pay attention in the rest of my classes, worry clouding my mind. I didn't even remember the drive home, my mind was so occupied. I pulled up to the house, and unlocked the door, praying I wouldn't find Renee sitting in the living room. Thankfully, it was empty. I made a snack and did my best to tackle my homework, but it was a fruitless effort. At around four, my phone rang. I answered it immediately, thinking it might be Edward or Alice.

"Hello?"

"Bells."

"Oh. Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"Uh...I wanted to let you know that I'll be late tonight. There was a bad accident earlier today and I need to finish up the paperwork."

A bad accident earlier today? I automatically thought of Edward and Alice being pulled out of class.

"Did something happen to one of the Cullens?" I asked him.

"Yes."

Oh, God. "Who got hurt?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Esme."

Oh no. The world came to a stand still. I could hear Charlie calling my name, and finally snapped out of it.

"She's going to be fine, Bells. She was hit by a drunk driver, but thankfully, she was wearing her seat belt and she had airbags in the car. She's got some broken bones, cuts and bruises, but it could've been a lot worse."

"Did you catch the person who did it?"

"We did," he said in a weary voice. Something about his tone, told me I wasn't going to like who it was.

"Who was it?" I asked, in a voice barely above a whisper.

"It was...shit, Bella! I gotta go. Carlisle said feel free to stop by the hospital for a visit. I'll see you later tonight," and he hung up.

Who was it? Who had caused Mrs. Cullen to be hurt? Knowing I wasn't going to get any more homework done, I climbed into Chuck and headed towards Forks General, picking up some flowers along the way. I called Jasper to make sure he knew, then I made my way to the receptionist, who told me which floor to head to. I made my way to the third floor, and saw Edward and Alice, sitting in some uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area.

"Hey, guys," I said softly.

"Bella!" they both cried. I rushed over and threw my arms around both of them, hugging them as tight as I could. We spent the next few minutes hugging each other, taking comfort from one another, and then Dr. Cullen came out.

I rushed to him and gave him a hug as well.

"How is she doing?" I asked him.

"She's going to be fine. A broken arm, some cuts and bruises, a few stitches, but she's fine."

"Thank God!" was my response.

I spent the next hour with the Cullens, doing my best to keep their spirits up, and discussing mundane things, such as Homecoming and school. I called Charlie to let him know that I was at the hospital, and I'd be heading home soon.

"That's fine. We need to have a talk when I get home," he told me.

That didn't sound good at all. I gave the Cullens all hugs, said my goodbyes, and headed back home to hear what it was Charlie had to say. The closer I got to home, the slower I drove, knowing that I wasn't going to like what he had to tell me. I parked Chuck next to the cruiser, and walked in to find Charlie and Sue sitting on the couch. Well, if Sue was there, the news couldn't be all bad, could it?

"Bells, I've got something to tell you."

* * *

A/N: Alright folks, lay it on me. Let me know what you thought!


	18. Why Can't I?

Disclaimer: Still don't own it and that makes me sad.

A/N: Alright folks, here's chapter 18. Hard to believe that we're that far along. I'm not sure how many chapter this is going to be, but we've got a ways to go. I will say this...we will be drama free for a bit after this. Hell, we might even get fluffy.

* * *

Isn't this the best part of breakin' up  
Finding someone else you can't get enough of  
Someone who wants to be with you too

It's an itch we know we are gonna scratch  
Gonna take a while for this egg to hatch  
But wouldn't it be beautiful

Here we go, we're at the beginning  
We haven't fucked yet, but my heads spinning

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you  
Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you  
It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it  
So tell me  
Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you

~Why Can't I~ Liz Phair

* * *

Surviving High School

My heart dropped when Charlie told me that we had to have a talk. I knew that it had something to do with what had happened to Mrs. Cullen. I didn't want to think about it, much less talk about it.

"Sit down, Bells," Charlie told me.

I sat down in his recliner, across from him and Sue, staring at both of them with dread. Charlie's right hand was clasped in Sue's left one. I could feel the tension rolling off of both of them.

"Well...I've got some good news and bad news. First, we caught the woman who hit Esme Cullen..." he began.

"Oh, God. It was Renee, wasn't it?"

"No. No. It wasn't her," he reassured me.

I felt the panic that had been surfacing begin to subside. As much as I couldn't stand Renee, I was extremely grateful that she wasn't the one to cause Mrs. Cullen pain.

"So, who was it then?"

"Mrs. Cheney, Ben's mother," he said, quietly.

What? I sat there in stunned silence. Oh no! I knew that Ben's mom had been having a hard time dealing with the divorce that had happened eight months ago, but I didn't realize that she was drinking. Ben had never said anything to me about it.

"Does Ben know?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Yes. I talked to him earlier. He's devastated. He knew his mom was upset about the divorce, but didn't realize that she was turning to alcohol to get by."

"What's going to happen to Ben?"

"His dad is coming up from Port Angeles. They have some things to work through. Bella. He's going to need you to be there for him. This is going to take a major toll on him, and people are going to talk and say hurtful things."

I nodded. Life in a small town could sure suck sometimes. "Of course I'll be there for him. He's my best friend."

I sat there taking it all in. Poor Ben! I didn't know what was going to happen to him. More than likely, his mom was going to be doing time, which meant that he'd probably end up moving to Port Angeles to live with his dad. I'd give him a call when Charlie and Sue were done talking to me.

"So, okay then. Bad news is out of the way," he said, and I saw him give Sue's hand a squeeze. "I've also got some good news. Well, **we** have some good news," he said, smiling at Sue.

"And this good news would be?"

Sue and Charlie looked at each other, and then Sue held out her left hand. There on her finger was a simple diamond ring.

"Is that? Oh my God! It is! You're engaged!" I shouted.

I couldn't believe it! I never really thought that Charlie would ever remarry. Not even when he started dating Sue. But I saw how happy she made him, so I was happy too. It was a bonus that I really liked her.

"Congratulations!" I exclaimed, giving her a hug and then Charlie one.

Charlie returned my hug, then sat back down with a goofy grin on his face.

"I can't tell you how relieved I am that you're not upset. I was so worried that you'd think we were moving too fast, or that you'd be angry."

"Well, I'm a bit shocked, that's true. But honestly Dad, I've never seen you so happy, in well...ever. I'm truly happy for the both of you. When's the wedding?"

Sue gave me a smile and told me that they were thinking of getting married over New Year's. That was only three months away, but neither of them wanted a fancy wedding, seeing as it was going to be thesecond marriage for both. Then, a thought occurred to me. Were we moving? Were they moving here?

"Question. How's this going to work? Are they going to move in with us? Are we going to move in with them?"

Charlie explained that Sue and Seth would be moving in with us. Seth was going to help Charlie convert the attic into his bedroom, unless I wanted it. I told them that Seth could have the attic. I liked my room. Besides, there were spiders up there, and it got really cold in the winter. I asked Sue how Seth and Leah had taken the news of her engagement.

"Pretty well. Seth was fine with it. Leah, well...she's still harboring a lot of anger towards me and Charlie, so she may take a bit more time to get used to it."

Sue told me that Leah had moved in with her boyfriend, Jared, on the reservation. Seth, however, was looking forward to living with us. I was kind of looking forward to it myself. I'd never had a brother before. After thirty minutes of discussing the wedding and their move, I got up to give Ben a call. It went straight to voice mail, so I left a message.

"Hey, Ben. It's Bella. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you. If you need to talk, vent, yell, give me a call. Just let me know how you're doing."

I sat down on my bed, not really wanting to do anything. Homework was the furthest thing from my mind, but I wasn't in the mood to Facebook or even read. I just laid there, listening to Florence and The Machine. My thoughts were all over the place. I felt horrible for the Cullens and Ben and I felt horrible about Renee. Ben's whole life was about to be turned upside down. Gossip in a small town can be ruthless. I had no doubt that by tomorrow, everyone in town would know what had happened. I wondered, briefly, if Edward and Alice would blame Ben for what happened to their mom, but I quickly decided they wouldn't. At least, I hope they wouldn't. If it came down to standing with Ben, or standing with the Cullens, I'd be with Ben. It's not his fault his mom's got a drinking problem, and it's not his fault that she chose to drink and drive. I was interrupted from my thoughts, by the ringing of my phone. I grabbed it and noticed it was Ben calling.

"Ben! Oh, Ben. How are you holding up?"

"I'm not," he said in a choked up voice. "Everything is all fucked up. I'd seen her drinking a couple of times, but didn't realize that it was this bad. I never thought she'd ever get behind the wheel of a car drunk. I just...I don't know what to do. Dad came up after your dad called him. He's gonna stay with me throughout the whole trial thing or whatever it is that's gonna happen. She could have killed someone! Did she even think about that?"

I had no answer for him. "Have you seen your mom at all?" I asked, tentatively.

"Yeah, for a few minutes. I couldn't even look her in the eye. I'm so ashamed of her. She was crying all over, apologizing the whole time. I'm so mad at her right now. I'm...I'm a mess. Angela and Reverend Weber stopped by the house to talk with me. I'm staying home from school tomorrow. I just can't face the gossip of Forks High right now."

"I understand. If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know."

"I will. I'm gonna try and get some rest, but I doubt I will. Dad and I have to figure out what's going to happen if Mom gets sentenced. Ha. Who am I kidding? Of course, she's gonna get sentenced. She was driving drunk and she hurt someone," he choked out, before he broke down into tears.

All I could do was mutter nonsense about how it would get better. But, we both knew that it was going to be a while before that happened. We hung up and I laid there and cried for everyone. In the aftermath of all of this, my drama seemed so small and inconsequential. At least there was a bit of good news, to soften the bad, but the bad still hung a dark cloud over my head. Eventually I cried myself to sleep, into a dreamland that was more an abyss swirling with fears and turmoil.

* * *

Tuesday was a rainy, cold day and fit my mood perfectly. I had a feeling it fit everyone's mood. I looked like crap and I didn't even make the effort to care. I pulled Chuck into the school parking lot near Rose's car and slowly climbed out. I almost dreaded seeing the Cullens, afraid of how they'd react about Ben's mom. I noticed that Edward and Alice were surrounded by Emmett, Jasper, and Rose, so I slowly made my way over to them.

"Hey, guys," I said, softly.

"Hey, Bella," Edward replied in a quiet voice. He looked tired. Dark bags under his eyes, sadness and stress written all over his face. Alice looked much the same. I saw Angela out of the corner of my eye, and motioned her over. She walked over, looking hesitant. I gave her a hug as she approached us.

"How are you? How's Ben?" I asked her.

"I'm in shock about the whole thing. I think everyone is. Ben's upset, mad, scared, confused. His dad, as well as my dad, are with him today," she told me in a hushed voice. Alice was standing near us and overheard what Angela said. She reached over to give Angela a hug and told her to tell Ben that no one blamed him.

"His mother is an adult and she made her own decisions. It's not Ben's fault, no matter what people may say," she told Angela. Edward nodded his head in agreement. I was relieved that no one in our group blamed Ben.

School dragged on, slowly and painfully. All anyone was talking about was that Ben's mom had nearly killed Edward's mom. The gossip was viscous, as it tends to be, and I was glad that Ben wasn't here to hear it. Although, it would take a while for the gossip to die down. Rose assured me that by the end of the week, they'd all be talking about something else entirely. Such a devious girl, that Rose. She and Emmett excused themselves from lunch, telling us they needed to go study. Right. Study anatomy, maybe. Angela, Alice, Jasper, Edward and I had seated ourselves at our lunch table, when I brought up the news of Charlie and Sue. Might as well give them some good news.

"So Charlie gave me some good news last night," I told them.

"I could use some good news," Edward said from my side.

"He and Sue are getting married over New Year's."

"Oh! That's fantastic! I love weddings! You have to invite me," Alice told me, bouncing in her seat.

"Of course you're invited. You're all invited. It's so weird. I never thought, in a million years, that Charlie would ever remarry."

"Doesn't she have kids?" Angela asked me.

I nodded. "Yep. She's got a fourteen year old son, Seth and a nineteen year old daughter, Leah. Sue and Seth are moving in with us. Charlie and Seth are going to convert the attic into a bedroom for him. It's gonna be weird having a brother," I mused.

Alice let out a laugh. "I can give you all kinds of advice when it comes to dealing with pesky brothers," she said, shooting Edward a grin. Edward stuck his tongue out at her.

"Don't listen to anything she says, Bella. It's all lies!"

"Once Mom is feeling better and up and moving, I'm sure she'll want to help with the renovation of your attic. She lives to decorate," Alice told me.

I hadn't even thought of that and I shuddered to think of what kind of decorating Charlie and Seth would come up with. "Oh, I don't want to bother her with it. I'm sure Sue and I can come up with something."

Alice let out a snort at that. "Please. I've seen the way you dress. I'd hate to see what your room looks like. I'm sure Mom will be more than thrilled to help out."

I was pretty sure I'd just been insulted. I looked at Edward and leaned over to whisper to him. "Did she just insult me?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure she did," he whispered back, his breath warm against my ear. I felt tingles erupt all over my body and gave a slight shiver. I noticed Alice give me a smirk from her side of the table, and I ducked my head to avoid her gaze.

Halfway through lunch, Angela excused herself to go call Ben. Alice had found her way onto Jasper's lap and was texting away, furiously, on her phone.

"Oh, Bella! Mom said she'd love to help out! Just let her know when."

I let out a sigh. "Alice. Tell your mom, I appreciate it, but she doesn't have to."

"Bella. She wants to. It'll keep her busy and her mind off of things. Please," she begged, poking out her bottom lip. Her big eyes held my own and I felt my resolve start to crumble.

"Make her stop!" I whispered to Edward, from the side of my mouth.

"Sorry, Bella. When she pulls out the pout, we're unable to resist. Just give in."

I looked to Jasper for help, but he just shook his head at me. "Sorry, Darling. My Ali always gets what she wants." Alice leaned back on his lap, looking smug.

"You're no help at all," I told them. "Fine, Alice! I give in. Tell your mom that we would love to have her help us."

Alice texted her mom back, letting her know that I agreed. I pulled my phone out and sent a text to Charlie, letting him know that Mrs. Cullen wanted to help with the renovation of the attic once she was feeling better. A few minutes later my phone rang. Charlie had yet to learn the art of texting.

"Hey, Dad."

"You're not texting me while you're in class, are you?"

"No. I'm at lunch. If you thought I was in class, why would you call me?"

"So, Esme is offering her decorating services to us?" he asked, completely ignoring my question.

"Yeah. I had mentioned to Alice that Sue and Seth were moving in with us, and she told her mom, who told Alice that she would love to help out, if you'd like."

"Sounds good to me. I'll stop by the hospital later and talk to her. Sue baked her some muffins and wants me to drop them off, anyways."

"Okay. Well the bell just rang, so I gotta head to class. I'll see you later."

"Alright, Bells. No texting in class! Especially to any boys," he warned me.

I rolled my eyes as I hung up my phone. Sometimes, Charlie was such a dad.

"What's with the eye roll?" Edward asked me as we got up to head to class.

"Oh, Charlie was in dad mode. He warned me about texting in class, then warned me about texting boys."

Edward let out his wonderful laugh. It was good to hear him laugh, considering all that had happened. He slung a friendly arm around my shoulder as we made our way down the hallway, his arm warm around my shoulder, his hand stroking my shoulder once in a while. I'm sure I was grinning like an idiot. He'd become very touchy feely lately, not that I was complaining. He could touch me all he wanted. And of course, thinking along those lines, brought a blush to my face.

"What's got you blushing all pretty?" he asked me as we approached the classroom.

I opened my mouth to tell him it was nothing, but what came out was, "I like your touch." Oh God, just kill me now! I buried my face in my hands and waited for the humiliation to end me. Edward let out a husky laugh and pulled me in close to his side. He leaned down and his breath fanned my ear as he said, "I like touching you."

Holy shit! I'm sure I just went up in flames. He gave my shoulder a squeeze, then let go of me and opened the door to the classroom. There was no way in hell, I would be able to concentrate in class today. All I could do was replay what Edward had said, over and over, and over. Alice must have noticed something was up, cause a few seconds later, I got a text from Alice asking me why my face was bright red and why Edward looked so smug. Did Edward look smug? I glanced at him, from beneath my lashes and sure enough, he was sitting there, arms crossed over his chest, with a smug look on his face. He caught me looking at him and threw me a wink. Holy hell. The blush just went up a notch. I texted Alice and told her that it was nothing. Of course, she didn't believe me. I knew that she would hunt me down and interrogate me later. Class ended, and on the way out the door, Edward asked me if I'd like to go with him to visit his mom. I told him that I'd love to. And it was true. I loved Mrs. Cullen.

Once school was over, I headed toward Chuck and found Edward leaning against him. He looked so freaking hot. All tall and lean, muscles in all the right places, as he rested with his back against the side of the truck.

"Hey. Mind if I ride with you to the hospital?"

"Really? What about the mom-mobile?"

"The what?"

Oh shit. I'd called his Volvo, the mom-mobile to his face. My bad.

"Um...your Volvo. What about your Volvo?" I asked, trying to cover my ass.

He moved away from Chuck and headed toward me in a predatory stance. Once, directly in front of me, he looked down at me. "Did you just call my car, a mom-mobile?" he asked me in a steely voice.

"Yes," I squeaked out, more affected by the closeness of his body, than by the tone of his voice.

"I'll have you know that my mom-mobile, as you put it, has a six-cylinder turbocharged engine, all wheel drive, and is best in class."

"I have no idea what any of that means."

"It means, that my Volvo S60 is freaking awesome! It is not, nor ever will be, a mom-mobile. Do you understand me?"

I nodded, all the while inhaling the spiciness of his aftershave. I would have agreed to anything at that point. It took a few seconds for me to regain control of my senses.

"So, why are you riding with me and not taking the Volvo?"

"Alice wants to head home first before going to the hospital, and I don't. I thought if it was okay with you, that I'd just ride with you to the hospital and then ride home with Dad or Alice."

"Sounds good to me," I said, as he opened my door for me. I climbed into the cab, watched Edward climb into the passenger seat, and started the engine. Chuck roared to life, causing Edward to cringe. I saw him open his mouth, most likely to criticize my baby, and I pointed my finger at him.

"Don't even think about it, mister."

"Think about what?" he asked, innocently.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Whatever derogatory comment you were going to make regarding my truck."

"Oh, so it's okay for you to make fun of my car, but I can't make fun of yours?"

"Exactly. My car could be your car's grandfather. He's a geriatric. Be kind."

"This thing is a death trap," I heard him mutter.

"This **thing** has a name. His name is Chuck and he does just fine. He gets me from point A to point B, and he's reliable."

"Chuck? You named your truck, Chuck?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Why Chuck?"

"Why not? Charlie bought him for me, and Chuck is a nickname for Charles, so it works. Doesn't the mom-mobile have a name?"

He turned to glare at me. "No. And stop calling my Volvo the mom-mobile!"

I started to giggle at how insulted he got when I referred to his precious Volvo as the mom-mobile. "Sorry, Edward. It's just so much fun to rile you up."

"Hmmph," was the response that I got, but I could tell that he wasn't really mad. I glanced over at him and noticed a small smile playing on his lips. He was so adorable. I pulled into the visitor's lot at the hospital and we got out, making our way to Mrs. Cullen's room. I gave Edward and his mom a few minutes to themselves, parking myself in a hard, plastic chair with my battered copy of Wuthering Heights.

"Bella, you can come in, you know," Edward told me, sticking his head out the door to his mom's room. I gathered up my book and my bag, and headed into Mrs. Cullen's room. She looked a little bit better than she had last night, but seeing her laying in that bed, made me immensely sad. She held out her hand as I came into the room and I walked over to her and took it.

"How are you doing, Mrs. Cullen?"

"I'm doing just fine. A little sore, but I'm going to be just fine. How is your friend, Ben, holding up?"

I felt tears welling up in my eyes when she mentioned Ben. I'd been so wrapped up in Edward, that I hadn't even given him much thought today. I felt like a bad person and a shitty friend. I told Mrs. Cullen that he was having a tough time dealing with the situation.

"That's bound to be the case. I'm sure the gossip in this town isn't helping much. When you talk to him, let him know that no one blames him."

I nodded and told her I'd do that. I spent the next half hour talking with her regarding the renovation project that would be happening soon. She was more than excited to help out, and had already made plans with Charlie and Sue to sit down and discuss decoration options. After saying goodbye to Mrs. Cullen, I headed out to the waiting room and gave Ben a call. We talked for a good twenty minutes, where I reassured him that no one blamed him. He was really worried that the whole Cullen family would hate him. Once I was done talking to Ben, I gathered up my stuff and headed out to Chuck.

"Bella! Wait up!" a masculine voice called from behind me. I turned around and noticed Edward jogging my way.

"What's up?" I asked him.

"Mind if I catch a ride home with you? Mom is going to be released later tonight and I want to have dinner ready for her when she gets home."

Oh. That was so sweet!

"Of course, I'll give you a ride home."

Like I was going to turn down Edward Time. The drive to his house was quiet, but it wasn't an uncomfortable quiet. It still amazed me how comfortable I was with him, now. I pulled up to the Cullen house and stopped the car.

"Did you want to come in for a bit?"

Hmmm...to hang out with Edward alone, or not? That was a no brainer. I told him that I would love to, and we made our way inside.

"I'm just gonna drop my stuff off in my room. Uh...did you want to come with me?"

Holy hell! Edward just invited me up to his room! My inner pervert was freaking out, thinking of all the fun we could have up there. Stop it! Don't go there! Yet.

"Uh...sure."

I followed Edward upstairs, stopping on the second floor in front of what, I assumed was his bedroom. He opened the door and gestured me in. Wow! His room was amazing. One of the walls in his room was comprised of a giant window that looked into the forest behind the house. And then there was his bed. His huge, King sized bed that looked so inviting and comfortable. I just wanted to run and jump on it, then burrow into it and never leave. Realizing that I was staring at his bed, I quickly moved my gaze to take in the rest of his room. Along the glass wall, was a black leather couch, and he had a super nice stereo system with more CDs than a record store.

"I take it you like music," I commented upon seeing his endless shelves of CDs.

He flashed me that grin. "Oh yeah. Music is life."

"What do you listen to?" I asked him, making my way over to look at his collection.

"Everything. Classical, Jazz, Rock. You name it, I pretty much listen to it. Well, not rap. That's more Emmett's thing."

I could totally see that. Emmett busting out a freestyle rap in the lunchroom. Glancing through his collection, I noticed that he seemed to have some sort of organizational system going on.

"What kind of crazy organizational system is this?"

"What? It's not crazy. I have them organized by year, then personal preference within that year."

I rolled my eyes. Cause that wasn't a crazy system at all.

"How do you have your music organized?"

"I don't. I just stick them on the shelf wherever they'll fit."

Edward shook his head at me, as he laid down on his bed. He stretched his arms over his head, causing his shirt to ride up a bit. Oh my. He had some nice abs going on there. I quickly looked away, but I'm sure he noticed me staring. Once again, I felt a blush start to take over. I sat down on his couch and immediately fell in love with it.

"I love your couch! I'm never leaving it," I told him as I sunk deeper into the leather cushions, only half joking.

Edward rolled on to his side, propping his head up on his hand. "Works for me," he said, flashing me a brilliant smile. We spent the next thirty minutes discussing music and arguing over who the best artist was. Halfway through an argument of The Stones vs. Aerosmith, the grandfather clock downstairs chimed, alerting us that it was close to six. He pulled himself off the bed and came over to me, offering his hand. I gladly took it, noticing how warm and large it felt in mine as he pulled me up from the couch.

"I suppose I should head downstairs and start making dinner."

"What are you making?" I asked him.

"Hmmm...oh, uh...tater-tot casserole."

"Really? Tater-tot casserole?"

He turned to me and gave me a defiant look. "Yes!"

"So...why are you making that?"

Once again, he shot me a defiant look and explained that it was the only thing he knew how to make. I tried to stop the laugh that was bubbling up, but I gave in.

"Edward. Your mom is coming home from the hospital. Maybe we should make something a bit nicer. I'll help you," I told him before he could argue.

I started opening up cupboards, the fridge, and the freezer to see what we had to work with. I noticed some chicken in the fridge so I decided to make some Parmesan-Crusted Chicken in Cream Sauce. It was an easy enough recipe, didn't take very long, and the Cullens' had all the ingredients I would need. I explained to Edward what we were making and he jumped on board, more than willing to help out. He ran upstairs to grab his iPod dock and then we were cooking to the sounds of 30 Seconds to Mars. Man, that Jared Leto was hot. Soon we were singing and dancing around the kitchen, just being goofy. We were so caught up in our silliness that we failed to notice the rest of the family come in. I gave a startled gasp when I came face to face with Dr. Hot, dropping the wooden spoon I'd been using as a microphone on the floor. My face turned bright red, and I knew for sure, that I was going to die of mortification.

"Having fun, kids?" he asked us, while leaning against the door jamb. Dear Lord, just kill me now. I could hear giggling from behind him and saw Alice and Mrs. Cullen laughing at me. Edward didn't seem embarrassed at all, so he kept on singing and dancing, while all I wanted to do was hide in a corner.

"Something smells good," Mrs. Cullen said, changing the subject.

"Oh yeah. Bella had this recipe for Parmesan-Crusted chicken or something. I was just gonna make tater-tot casserole, but she wouldn't let me."

I rolled my eyes at him. He made it sound like I forced him to make the chicken. Oh wait. I did.

"Oh, Bella! It was so nice of you to make dinner. You didn't have to do that," she told me, coming over to give me a hug.

"Ahem! I helped make this dinner too," Edward interjected from his spot near the oven.

"And I'm sure you did a wonderful job helping," Mrs. Cullen said, giving him a hug. I watched as he hugged his mom back, holding on tight. It was a very sweet sight.

After the timer on the oven dinged, I took the chicken out and had Edward set the table. They asked me to stay for dinner, seeing as how I had made it, so I agreed. I shot off a text to Charlie letting him know where I was and that I'd be home soon. Ten seconds later, my phone rang, so I excused myself to answer it.

"Hi, Dad."

"Hi, Bells. So, you're at the Cullen's house?"

"Yeah. I dropped Edward off here, and then stayed to help him make dinner." And of course the minute I said that, I wish I'd kept my mouth shut. Charlie immediately went into, what I liked to call, dadcop mode.

"You were alone in their house with Edward?" he asked me in a steely voice.

"Um...," I thought about lying, but Charlie would sniff it out in a matter of seconds. "Yes. But all we did was cook dinner for Mrs. Cullen because she got to come home from the hospital today."

"That boy had better have behaved. I'm not sure I like you being alone in his house with him."

"Dad! You liked him just fine when he fixed my tire."

"Yeah, well that was before."

"Before what?"

"Before you were alone with him. I'll be keeping a close eye on him."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Dad, I can take care of myself. Besides, Edward is just my friend."

"Hmmph. I know how teenage boys think. You just be careful," he warned me.

"Dad! Stop worrying. I'll see you when I get home."

After that phone call, I really wasn't looking forward to going home. Charlie was going to be in interrogation mode when I got home. Edward called us all to the table, and soon we were indulging in the dinner that we had made. And it was good. The family complimented us on our culinary skills. After dinner was done, I said goodbye and headed toward Chuck. Edward walked me out, and we stopped when we got to my truck.

"Thanks for the ride, Bella, and for making dinner," he said as I climbed into the truck.

"It was my pleasure." And it truly was.

"See you at school tomorrow?" he asked.

"You bet."

Then he leaned in and kissed my cheek. "See you later," he said, and shut my door. I watched in stunned silence as he walked back up the steps and let himself into his house. My fingers ghosted over the spot where he had kissed me. My mind was in overdrive. Edward Fuckhot Cullen had just kissed me! Sure, it wasn't on the lips, but who cared? His lips were on my person, and that was all that mattered. Things were definitely looking up. I drove home in a daze, and couldn't even recall if I'd stopped at the stop sign. I pulled into our drive and took a look at myself in the mirror. I had the silliest grin on my face and I knew if I walked in with it, Charlie would know something was up. Doing my best to school my grin, I headed inside to find Charlie sitting in his recliner watching a game.

"How was dinner?" he asked me around a mouthful of pizza.

"It was fine. Mrs. Cullen was glad to not to have to cook."

"That was nice of you to offer to cook for her."

I was going to mention that it was Edward's idea, not mine, but decided against it. I nodded my agreement, then told Charlie that I was off to do some homework. I was eternally grateful that there was a football game on to distract Charlie from asking me about Edward. I knew for a fact that if he were to even mention Edward's name, my face would go up in flames. I made my escape upstairs, where I proceeded to struggle through my assignments, not really caring if they were done right or not. By the time I finished, it was a little after eight and I logged onto Facebook. Emmett's status dealt with hot naked girls or something. I wasn't too sure I wanted to know. I updated my status to **Bella Swan** _is wondering why psychics have to ask for your name. _I had just started playing Cafe World, when my phone rang. I answered it without even looking who it was.

"Bella Swan! You've been avoiding me!" Alice's voice said from the phone.

"Nuh uh. I wasn't avoiding you at all. I just failed to let you get me alone."

"Same thing. Now spill!"

"I have no idea what you want me to spill."

"What are you doing? Are you playing Facebook games while talking to me?"

Busted. "Um...no."

"Don't you lie to me! Turn your computer off and talk to me. You know I'm just going to bug you till you do."

And she would, too. FYI, tiny demons can be very annoying. I shut down my computer and then crawled onto my bed, laying down.

"Alright. What did you want to know?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Everything! I want to know what had you blushing like crazy in class today."

Even though she couldn't see me, I still put a hand over my face to cover up the blush that was rising. "It was so embarrassing. He had his arm around me and I was thinking how much I liked it, which caused me to blush. So then he asked why I was blushing and I meant to tell him nothing and instead I told him I liked his touch."

I had to pull the phone away from ear as she began howling with laughter. So glad to know that my friends have my back. "It's not that funny," I mumbled to her.

"Oh, yes it is. It's freaking hilarious. What did my dear brother say to that?"

"Um...he said he liked touching me."

"Ewww! I did not need to hear that."

"You asked. Besides, I'm sure he didn't mean it like that." Although, I hoped he did.

"I'm sure he did," she said. "Did anything else happen today? Because he was looking pretty happy after saying goodnight to you."

I debated whether to tell her about the kiss, but figured I might as well. She knew about the almost kiss, and she was one of my best friends.

"He gave me a kiss on the cheek," I told her, softly.

She let out another one of those high pitched squeals that only dogs can hear, and I heard her saying something about how she knew that he liked me like that. I spent the next forty-five minutes detailing my entire day with Edward to her, and once she was satisfied we hung up. Once we were done, I got ready for bed and try as I might, I couldn't sleep. I mean really, who could after the day I'd had. Eventually, I fell to sleep wondering how things would go...

_I was stretched out across the leather couch in Edward's room, my history book laying on the floor next to me as I attempted to learn about The Emancipation Proclamation. I couldn't have cared less about it, but my history teacher sure did and it was guaranteed to be on the test. Normally, I wouldn't have any problems studying, but someone kept distracting me. A very hot someone, who was laying behind me on the couch._

"_Bella," he whined._

"_Hmmm?"_

"_Aren't you done studying yet?" he asked, running his fingers up and down my arm, distracting me even further._

_I realized that as long as Edward was near, no studying of history was going to get done. Studying of anatomy might. Giving a sigh, I closed the book and sank back into Edward, enjoying the feel of him. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight, while pressing small kisses against my neck. I let out a sigh as shivers took over. He always made me feel that way. Those small, chaste kisses were slowly becoming more, as he nipped my collarbone and soothed the sting with a flick of his tongue. My body was on fire. I rolled onto my back, entwining my hands into his hair, pulling him down to me. His hands were braced on each side of my head, holding his body up, away from mine. That just wouldn't do. I tugged him to me, causing him to fall, and I let out a sigh at the feel of his hard body against my soft one. He leaned down and pressed gentle, chaste kisses against my lips. He was driving me insane. I wanted more. I nipped at his bottom lip and his mouth crashed down on mine, stealing my breath, and devouring my lips in a passionate kiss. Now this was what I wanted. I was so lost in our kisses, that I failed to notice that his right hand had made it's way to my waist. He gave me a gentle squeeze as he tore his lips away from mine._

"_I love you, Isabella Swan."_

_His eyes were full of adoration, and I could see the love shining in them. I'd been wanting to hear those three words, but never truly believed that he would ever say them to me. _

"_I love you too, Edward Cullen," I said, in a voice barely above a whisper. _

_It was as if our declaration of love, fueled our passion. Our kisses became stronger, more heated. The hand on my waist began to make it's way up my torso, underneath my shirt. In the back of my mind, I knew that we should stop before things got too out of control, but I was too focused on the feelings he was creating in me. Just as his hand was about to touch me, we were rudely interrupted by a knocking on the door._

"Bells? Are you up?"

* * *

A/N: So how many of you thought it was Renee that caused the accident? I thought about it, but decided Bella had enough to deal with it. Anyway, leave me some love!


	19. Closer I Get To You

Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat, I do not own Twilight. I do own three copies of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_. It used to be two copies, but I found one for sale at the library, so now I have three.

A/N: I apologize for the delay. We had some big storms hit the Midwest, which resulted in some power outages. But all is good. So last chapter there was a bit of drama and a bit of fluffiness. I don't know about you, but I like fluffiness. Thanks to those who read and review. Makes my day seeing those. Chylex28, thanks as always, for dealing with me and my hatred of commas.

* * *

Over and over again  
I tried to tell myself that we  
Could never be more than friends  
But all the while, inside , I knew it was real  
The way you make me feel

Lyin' here next to you  
Time just seems to fly  
Needing you more and more (more and more)  
Let's give love a try

~Closer I Get To You~ Beyonce

* * *

Surviving High School

"_Bella, wake up,"_ a voice told me, while someone shook my shoulder. My eyes popped open and I found Charlie standing over me, his hand on my shoulder. I was instantly alarmed.

"What's going on?" I asked in a panicked voice.

"Calm down. Nothings wrong. But if you don't get a move on, you'll be late for school," he told me as he left my room.

I flopped onto my back and let out the breath I'd been holding. I must have been so caught up in everything that happened yesterday, that I'd forgotten to set my alarm. Thank goodness Charlie woke me up. Hold up. What was Charlie doing home at this time? Normally he was at the station by now. I scrambled out of bed, only to find myself tangled in the sheets, causing me to fall of the bed and hit the floor with a thud.

"You okay, Bells?" Charlie called up the stairs.

"Yes," I, grumpily, yelled back.

I untangled myself and then made my way to the bathroom, where I began my morning ritual. Once I was dressed, my hair brushed and hanging loose, I headed downstairs and found Charlie sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee. I grabbed a pop-tart and a glass of orange juice and sat down across from Charlie.

"Shouldn't you be at work?"

He looked up from the sports section of the paper and set down his coffee.

"I took the day off."

I almost fell off my chair. Charlie taking a day off? That never happens.

"Are you sure nothings wrong? You never take time off."

His fingers reached up to smooth his mustache as he said, "I promise everything is fine. Sue and I are going to go visit Esme this morning so we can start discussing plans for the renovation of the attic. We'll probably end up discussing wedding plans as well." He gave a small shiver after he said that.

"Sounds fun. Tell Mrs. Cullen that Seth wants purple walls and hot pink carpet."

Charlie let out a snort. "Now, Bells. Don't go trying to torture the boy just yet. At least wait until he's moved in before you go picking on him."

I put on my best pout. "I can't help it, Dad. I'm just excited to have a little brother." And I really was. I saw how well Edward and Alice got along. While I realized that not all siblings were as close as they are, it gave me hope. Besides, Seth was a sweet kid and he had a great sense of humor.

"How do you feel about getting an older sister?"

"Uh...well...yeah." I really didn't have much to say about that.

Charlie gave me a small smile. "Sue went over to Leah's last night to have a talk with her, but I don't know how well it went. I think Leah's having a hard time letting go of Harry and feels I'm trying to take her dad's place. Hopefully, she'll come around. If not, at least we tried."

I nodded as I put my glass in the sink. Honestly, I didn't really care if she and I became friends or not. Noting the time, I told Charlie I'd see him later, grabbed my backpack and started up Chuck. I was in such a rush this morning after talking with Charlie, that I didn't even have time to process the fact that I was going to be seeing Edward today. The man had freaking kissed me, and I had no idea how I was supposed to act. Was it just a friendly kiss on the cheek or was it a "I want to be more than friends" kiss on the cheek? I mean, just earlier this week he had said he wasn't ready to start dating again, so should I just assume that this was a friendly kiss? And who kisses their friends? Oh man, I was starting to give myself a headache trying to figure this all out. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts as I pulled into the school parking lot, which was mostly full. A quick glance at the clock on my stereo told me I had five minutes to make it to homeroom. Well, crap. I climbed out of Chuck and ran toward the front doors. Flinging the front door open, I dashed toward homeroom. I had almost made it, when my wet shoes slipped on the floor and I started going down.

"Whoa, Bella!" Edward's warm voice said, as he reached out and caught me before I went down. "In a hurry?"

"Thanks, Edward. I totally forgot to set my alarm this morning and then Charlie wanted to talk and by the time I got to school I realized I was running late, which meant I had to run to class, and you know how good I am at running," I rambled out to him, as my hand gripped his upper arm in an attempt to steady myself.

He looked down at me and shot me his signature panty-dropping grin. "No problem. But you do realize that you have plenty of time, right? Homeroom doesn't begin for another ten minutes."

Huh? I reached over and grabbed his left arm and looked at his watch. His very fancy, expensive watch. Well, what do you know? He was right. I had just endangered myself for no reason.

"Chuck's clock must be fast."

"Sure. Blame Chuck," he said with a chuckle.

"I'm not blaming Chuck, I'm just stating a fact. His clock told me I had five minutes before class started."

"Uh huh. I think you just wanted to run and slide across the floor in hopes that I would catch you when you began to fall," he said, smirking at me.

My mouth fell open. Conceited jerk. "Whatever, Cullen," I told him with an eye roll.

"It's true. You can't resist me, or my sexy arms."

And they were sexy arms, indeed. I still had a hold of his arm and I gave him a quick squeeze as he flexed his bicep for me. "Am I that transparent? I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby."

"Did you just quote _Ten Things I Hate About You,_ to me?"

I shot him a grin as I reluctantly removed my hand from his arm. "Perhaps."

He shook his head at me. "Come on, Swan. Let's get you safely to class."

* * *

The week flew by quickly and I found myself becoming even more enamored with Edward; if that was at all possible. I don't know if it was his beautiful smile and small glances that he sent my way, or the casual touches that he would give me. Whatever it was, it made my blood pump and my heart soar. I had to keep reminding myself that he wasn't interested in dating at the moment and to just be satisfied with the playful banter that we had. And I was. I enjoyed seeing that playful side of Edward, and was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. That was how I found myself agreeing to go to a dance club in Port Angeles on Saturday. It was Friday at lunch and Alice was going on about some new dance club that had just opened up in Port Angeles.

"We should totally go! It'll be so much fun!" she exclaimed, in true Alice fashion. Rose quickly agreed and, much to my surprise, so did Angela.

"How about it, Bella?" Rose asked me.

"Um...you all know how I feel about dancing. A place like that would be a disaster for me."

Edward leaned over and said in a soft voice, "Come with us. Please. It'll be fun, and I won't let anything happen to you."

Well, hell. How could I say no after that? I looked into his eyes and felt myself giving in. Let's hope he never asked me to commit a crime, 'cause I had a feeling I would give in too easily.

"If Charlie says it's okay, I'll go." The girls cheered and Alice launched into fashion-mode, lecturing us on what was proper dance club attire and what wasn't. I had a feeling my entire wardrobe would be listed in the non-proper attire category. Meanwhile, Edward had slung his arm over the back of my chair, and was busy discussing football strategy for the game tonight. I leaned back in my chair and half-listened to the various conversations going on around me. I was in the mist of being berated for my lack of fashion sense, when I felt fingers entangling themselves in my hair. Could it be? Was Edward playing with my hair? I looked up at him from under my lashes, at the same time he looked down at me and gave me a small smile. Pleasure rippled through me as I focused my attention back to Alice. She wasn't fooled. She, Rose, and Angela all gave me smug looks, but I didn't care. The only thing that mattered at that moment was Edward. All too soon, the bell rang and we extracted ourselves from our table. Edward removed his fingers from my hair, but slung a friendly arm over my shoulder and we headed off to class. I was in total swooning mode. Part of me didn't believe that this was real. I mean, what could Edward Cullen possibly see in me? The other part of me, was all too eager for, whatever this was, to continue.

Once school let out, I said goodbye to everyone and headed home. It had become a ritual to go to the Friday night games. I dumped my bag in my room and changed into an old hoodie and a pair of old jeans. Might as well be comfortable while sitting on a bench, freezing my ass off. Charlie had left me a note telling me that he was at Sue's house, so I decided to give him a call.

"Hey, Bells," he said in his gruff, yet cheerful voice.

"Hey, Dad. Just wanted to let you know that I'm heading to the game with the gang. We'll probably go out afterward, but I should be back around eleven."

"That's fine."

"So, um...the Cullen kids, along with Rose, Emmett, and Jasper, are all going to a dance club in Port Angeles tomorrow night. I was wondering if I could go?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone, and I steeled myself for the resounding "no" that would be coming my way.

"Esme and Carlisle are letting Alice and Edmund go?"

"His name is _Edward_, Dad. And as far as I know, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen are fine with it."

"Hmmph. I'll call them and find out. If they are letting them go, then you can go. But no drinking! That goes for everyone, especially that streaker-kid."

"Of course."

"I'm going to give Esme a call, then I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Dad. So, did you have fun today?"

"Sure. We'll go with that. It was fun, up until all that wedding talk and nonsense."

Then I heard a thud through the phone and heard Charlie tell Sue to stop hitting him. I let out a laugh. Good for her.

"Bella, you go on ahead to your game and have fun. I have to go put Charlie in his place," Sue said to me, obviously having taken the phone away from Charlie. I had a feeling that "putting him in his place" was a euphemism for something else. Ugh! That was a disturbing thought.

The game was a lot of fun and the Spartans won again. It had been a close game, and the three of us shouted ourselves hoarse screaming for our team. It was comical to see how far we had come, school spirit wise, since the beginning of the year. As we headed down the bleachers, I came face to face with Esme and Dr. Cullen. I loved the fact that they were so supportive of their children and made it a point to come to every game.

"Bella dear. I talked to your father earlier," she said after wrapping me up in one of her warm hugs.

"About the dance club?"

"Yes. Carlisle and I know the owner, Felix Volturi. He's a nice man, and the club caters to those sixteen and up. I assured Charlie that it was a nice place. Volturi doesn't have or allow alcohol on the premises. It's just a nice place for kids to kick back and have a good time."

I instantly felt a bit safer, knowing that there wasn't going to be alcohol. It's not like I'd never had a drink before. I had. I just didn't want to have to deal with drunk losers trying to hit on me and whatnot.

"So, Dad said yes?"

"Yes and, if you'd like, you can spend the night at our house. I'm sure you all will be getting back late."

I thanked her, hugged her once more, and then Angela, Ben and I left for the diner. Per usual, the diner was crowded with the student body from Forks High. We found our table in the back and sat down, waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. I saw Victoria arrive, followed by Lauren and Mike. They looked so pathetic. Following her around like they were her lapdogs. But whatever. I just hoped she and her band of idiots didn't come over and start trouble. I was lost in my internal musings and was a bit startled when Emmett jumped into my line of sight.

"Hey, Rachel Ray! How's it hanging?"

I knew for a fact that if I asked him that, he'd come up with some reply that had to do with his dick or something equally inappropriate. I told him I was fine as he sat down across from me, pulling Rose onto his lap. She struggled to get away, but he had a tight grip on her and not two seconds later, they were snogging away. I was slightly disturbed.

"Gross, isn't it?" a warm voice whispered in my ear. I turned around and found myself eye to eye with Edward.

"Totally."

"It's even worse when I have to watch Alice and Jasper. Somethings a brother just doesn't need to see," he told me, sitting down in the vacant chair next to me.

"Oh hush, Edward. It's not like I haven't walked in on you in compromising situations," she said, sticking out her tongue at him.

I really didn't want to think about Edward and compromising situations or positions. Oh boy. I felt the blush start to work its way up my face. Think about something else, Bella. Anything else.

"My dad said I could go to the club with you guys," I blurted out.

"Suh-weet!" Emmett yelled, giving a fist pump in the air. I had to shake my head at his enthusiasm. Such a goofball.

"Yay! I'll come over to your house tomorrow and raid your closet. I'm sure you must have something that's club appropriate," and then she was off and running about clothes and who knows what.

I leaned over to Edward and whispered to him. "I don't have the heart to tell her that I have nothing in my closet that is club appropriate."

"I'm sure you'll look good in whatever you wear," he said, a smile on his face.

Swoon. Seriously. I think I just swooned.

"Thanks."

"And don't let her bully you into wearing something you aren't comfortable in. She can be a force of nature when it comes to clothes."

I nodded my head. "I've dealt with Hurricane Alice before. For the Sadie Hawkins dance, she practically forced her dresses and shoes on me."

"That's right. I forgot about that. You looked really pretty that night."

"Just that night, huh? So, I don't look pretty all the time?" I teased him.

"What? No. That's not what I meant. You always look pretty," he replied, a light blush staining his cheeks and a full on blush staining mine. "I just meant, that you looked really great that night. That shade of blue on you is stunning."

Holy hell. I wasn't aware that Edward had even noticed me that night. I figured he was so busy being angry at me, that he never noticed. Apparently, I was wrong. Our waitress came over to take our orders and I was grateful for the distraction. Not that I wasn't enjoying my conversation with Edward, but I was afraid I was going to spontaneously combust if he gave me any more compliments. Emmett ordered enough to feed the table, while I ordered a simple cheeseburger and fries. Conversation flowed freely, and we all enjoyed the tales that Emmett, Jasper, and Edward told about the game, while we were eating. Eventually, the owners of the diner kicked us out and we all went our separate ways. Ben and Angela dropped me off and I headed inside to find Charlie and Sue cuddling on the couch, exchanging small kisses. Not something I wanted to see, yet it was incredibly sweet at the same time.

"Hey, Bells. How was the game?" Charlie asked as I came in.

"It was fun. We won again. So far, we're undefeated."

"Now why can't you show this kind of enthusiasm when I watch a game?"

Sue interrupted me before I could answer. "Probably because the boys on the school team are much cuter than the ones you watch."

Charlie's face turned an interesting shade of red. "I don't want to hear that."

"Too bad, Charlie. Bella will be dating before you know it."

I watched, amused, as Charlie started to sputter. "That's not going to happen. Bella's going to wait until she's in her thirties before she starts dating."

Sue and I busted out laughing. If I had my way, I'd be dating Edward Cullen right this second. "Sorry, Dad. I plan on dating before then."

I sat down in Charlie's recliner and we talked about the game, the wedding, and the Clearwaters' move into our house. Sue told me that Seth was excited about moving in and he had big plans for the attic upstairs. Before long, I was yawning, so I excused myself and headed upstairs. I logged into my Facebook page and noticed that I had a message from Edward. I sat on my chair, doing a little dance. I clicked on the message and read what he said.

_Hey Bella. Hope I didn't embarrass you too much tonight, but I meant what I said. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I'm glad that you're going with us tomorrow night. I'm sure we'll have a great time._

Aw. He was so freaking sweet. Now if only he would just ask me out and then make out with me, life would be fantastic. I decided to message him back, once again thanking him for his compliment, and letting him know that I was excited about tomorrow night as well. I finished the night up playing some games, logged off and was asleep before I knew it.

Saturday morning, I woke up around eleven, which was unusual for me. I laid in my bed, stretching my arms over my head, thinking about the evening to come. I still couldn't believe that Charlie was letting me go. I was partially terrified and partially excited. I'd never been to a club before, and was terrified of making a fool of myself. I didn't know how to dance and I really didn't want to make an ass of myself in front of Edward. I wondered if he'd dance with me tonight. I really hoped so. I was still laying in my bed when I as bombarded by a tiny, squealing person.

"Bella! Bella! Bella! Wake up! We've got a busy day ahead of us," Alice squealed, bouncing up and down on my bed.

"Ugh! Who let the tiny demon in?" I hollered.

"I did!" Charlie yelled back to me.

I looked at her and asked, "So, why are you here this early?"

"Because silly, I've got to raid your wardrobe and teach you how to dance."

"I don't dance. Alice, I'm gonna make a complete fool of myself tonight," I whined.

"No you're not. That's why I'm here. Now get up, shower, and get dressed. Put on some comfy clothes and I'll forge around your closet."

I quickly obeyed, terrified of incurring the wrath of Alice. After my shower, I went back to my room only to find that a hurricane had hit. Clothes were thrown all over the place and I could see a pair of tiny feet sticking out of my closet.

"Uh...Alice," I began, surveying the mess.

"Shhh! I'm busy. I put some yoga pants and a shirt on your computer chair. Put those on, grab me something to eat, and then come back."

I raised an eyebrow. Did she just order me to grab her something to eat? I grabbed my clothes, headed back to the bathroom and got dressed. Once clothed, I headed downstairs into the kitchen to figure out what to make. Opening the fridge, I noticed that we had the fixings for some cold cut sandwiches, so that's what I made. Carefully, carrying two plates, I headed upstairs, scared to see what was left of my room. I peeked around the door and saw that Alice had arranged my clothes into piles.

"Uh...I made you a sandwich. Hope that's alright."

"Thanks, Bella!" she beamed at me. Taking a bite of her sandwich, she pointed to the different piles of clothes that were now covering my bed. She informed me that the pile on the right was to go in the garbage or be burned. Glancing at the pile, I noticed that she'd included some of my favorite shirts and flannels. I made a sound of protest, but zipped my lips immediately upon seeing Alice's look. The pile on the left was my keep pile. Well, hallelujah, at least I had some clothes left.

"Bella, my dear. You are sadly lacking in the fashion department. Your closet is crying for help, and I am making it my mission to fill it with fashionable clothes. Pack a bag 'cause you're spending the night with me. We're gonna head to my house in a few. I have a bunch of clothes that I never wear and they need a good home. Your closet will do just fine. Secondly, we are going to spend tomorrow shopping!"

I shook my head. Oh no. I wasn't going shopping. Not happening.

"I already asked your dad if it was okay and he said yes. So, pack your bag, grab your purse and put on your shoes. We're leaving in ten," and with that, she flounced out of my room and down the stairs.

How could my own father sell me out like that? I quickly sent Edward a text begging him to help me get out of shopping tomorrow. My phone chimed a few seconds later.

_Sorry, Bella. You're on your own_

_Traitor_

_Lol. Ive learned not to get b/w alice and her shopping_

_Jerk_

I can't believe that he wasn't going to help me. I contemplated throwing myself down the stairs, but ultimately decided the pain wasn't worth it. I made my way downstairs where Charlie handed me a wad of cash.

"What's this for?"

"Your shopping spree."

"I've got some money saved up, Dad. You don't have to give me any."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. There should be a couple hundred there. Take it. It's not often, that you go shopping."

Grudgingly, I took the money and put it in my purse. I gave Charlie a hug goodbye and headed toward Alice's Porsche. She chattered the whole way to her house and was positively beaming at the idea of playing Barbie Bella. I, on the other hand, wasn't too thrilled about it. But then I remembered how good she made me look for the dance, and decided I wouldn't complain too much. I said a quick hello to Mrs. Cullen and headed upstairs to Alice's room. Within minutes, she had flung open the doors to her massive closet and started throwing clothes in my direction. Forty-five minutes later, I had acquired a small collection of very expensive clothes.

"Alice, there's no way I can accept all this."

"You can and you will. Don't argue with me, just take them. I don't wear them anymore and you are in dire need of new clothes."

I realized that arguing was futile, so I just accepted the clothes and thanked her. She even found an outfit for me to wear to the club. I had images of tight mini skirts and halter tops, and was relieved when she handed me a pair of skinny jeans and a cute sleeveless, floral peasant top with black straps. I pointed out that it was October in Forks and that I was going to freeze. Alice pointed out that we were going to be dancing in a club with a ton of people and lights and that we'd probably get warm. Once the clothes situation was sorted out, she turned on her iHome stereo. She scrolled down to a playlist she had made and cranked up the music. Rihanna's _Only Girl in the World _came blaring out, and Alice started dancing around her room. I was in awe of her moves and told her such.

"Silly Bella. It's not hard. Just move your hips and shoulders. Watch me." And I did. She made it look so easy. I figured since we were in the privacy of her room, I could give it a shot and not make too much of an ass out of myself. I stood where I was, attempting to move my hips the way she was.

"There you go. You got it!"

I felt a bit silly as I stood there, undulating my hips to the rhythm of the music. I had no idea what to do with my arms, and I saw Alice lifting hers over her head or sliding them over her hips and thighs. Well, what the hell. I'll give it a shot. So I wound my hands up in the air, while wiggling my hips and I really started to get into it.

"Ow, ow! Looking fine ,ladies!" Emmett's voice boomed from Alice's doorway, where he and Jasper were standing. Immediately, I stopped what I was doing and my face turned bright red. Emmett must have noticed my discomfort because he was quick to reassure me.

"I mean it, Twinkletoes. You got some moves, girl. You just need a bit of confidence and you'll be driving the dudes crazy. Although, I think we all know that there's only one dude you want to drive crazy," he smirked, giving me a wink.

I was mortified. Emmett knew I had a crush on Edward. My face was fire-alarm red and I mumbled, "Is it obvious to everyone?"

Emmett came over and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side. "Hey now, Ginger Rogers. It's not obvious to everyone. I just know about it 'cause Rosie told me. We have no secrets, so don't be mad at her for telling me."

Jasper came into the room and stood behind Alice, his arms around her waist, his chin resting on top of her head. "Don't be embarrassed, Darling. I think it's a pretty safe bet that Edward likes you back."

"Well, yeah. We're friends."

"Darling, I'm positive Edward likes you for more than a friend."

"Totally! I mean really, Bella, how many of your friends kiss you on the cheek when saying goodnight?" Alice asked me.

Shit-eating grins spread across both Emmett and Jasper's faces. They reached out and gave each other fist bumps, leaving me confused.

"Told ya, he was crazy about her. You owe me ten bucks," Emmett boomed out at Jasper.

"Dang it! I knew he liked her, but didn't think he'd have the guts to make the first move."

Huh? My brain was trying to comprehend the fact that apparently Edward liked me for more than a friend. I just couldn't see it though. Alice turned around and looked up at Jasper.

"Mind telling us what you're going on about?"

Emmett spoke up. "I bet Jasper ten bucks that Edward would make a move on Bella before the end of the week. Jasper bet me it would be at least two weeks before he made a move."

I stood there in shocked silence as I watched Jasper pull out his wallet and hand Emmett ten bucks. Before Emmett could take the money, I grabbed it out of Jasper's hand and tucked it in my back pocket.

"Thanks."

Emmett turned and stared at me. "What?" I asked, innocently.

"You took my money!"

"And I'll be sure to spend it wisely," I told him with a smile. Jasper and Alice were cracking up at the look of disbelief on Emmett's face.

"What's going on here?" a voice came from the doorway. It'd know that voice anywhere. Edward. I looked over and saw him leaning against the door jamb, arms crossed over his chest. Damn, he looked good. Emmett caught me staring at Edward an evil look came over his face. Oh no. This wasn't going to be good. I had to say something before Emmett did.

"Emmett's mad 'cause I took his ten bucks that he won in a bet with Jasper."

Edward strolled into the room and stood next to me. I swear I forgot how to breathe. "Good for you. What were they betting on?"

Did I dare tell him? "You."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Uh huh. So I guess the ten bucks is really yours," I said, fishing into my back pocket and handing it to him.

"Thanks. Not sure what I did to win it, but works for me. Thanks guys," he said then turned to look at me. "Want to go get an ice cream? I just won ten bucks"

If my smile got any bigger, it'd split my face. "Sure." We left the room, leaving a shocked Emmett and Jasper behind us, and a giggling Alice. We made our way downstairs and headed out to his Volvo.

"No, mom-mobile comments, or you're walking," he warned, pointing a finger at me.

"I promise. I won't make any mom-mobile comments. For now."

He shook his head, as he held the door open for me. I climbed in and was immediately surrounded by the smell of leather and Edward. Yum. I watched as he climbed into the driver's seat and then we were off. He drove through town till we reached the little ice cream shop. We walked into the shop and the girl behind the counter began eye-fucking Edward the minute we walked in. Not that I could blame her, but it still irritated the hell out of me. I wanted to tell her to back off. That he was mine, but he wasn't. Not yet, anyways. The girl asked him what he wanted, flirting all the while and completely ignoring me. Now I was just getting pissed. Edward wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close to him.

"See anything you want, Bella?"

Oh, that was a loaded question. I saw something I definitely wanted, standing next to me with his arm wrapped around my waist.

"Yep. I'll have a double scoop of strawberry on a waffle cone," I told the girl, giving her a smug smile. She shot me a dirty look and then turned away to get my ice cream.

Once we had our cones, we headed outside. It was cool out, but for once, it wasn't raining. Edward suggested taking a walk while we ate, and I agreed. We walked around the little downtown area of Forks, eating our ice cream and talking. It felt so natural. We found a bench outside of Newton's and sat down.

"Sorry about earlier," he said. "I didn't mean to grab you like that, but that girl wouldn't stop staring at me like I was a piece of meat."

"It's okay. You never have to apologize for grabbing me."

Oh God. I did it again. Verbal vomit. My brain seemed to abandon me whenever Edward was around, and I said the stupidest things. Face bright red, I did my best to ignore the gorgeous man next to me, and eat my ice cream, acting like nothing had happened.

He let out a loud laugh. "I love the things you say. You crack me up, Bella. So, you will be saving me a few dances tonight, right?"

I swung my head around and met his gaze. His green eyes memorized me, and there was a firing burning in them. "Of course," I told him in a breathy voice. Good God, I sounded like a porn star.

"I look forward to it."

"I'm a horrible dancer!" I blurted out. "Alice was trying to teach me how to dance earlier, but I don't think I'm very good at it."

He put his finger under my chin and tipped my head up towards his. "I'm sure you'll do great. Besides, slow dancing is easy. You just sway to the rhythm of the music. I'll guide you. As for the fast music, just go with the flow. You sure as hell can't look any worse than Emmett when he gets on the dance floor. He gyrates all over the place. It's terrifying."

I remembered the last time I'd seen Emmett and his gyrating hips and gave a shudder. We finished up our cones and headed back toward the mom-mobile. The ride back was quiet, and every once in a while, I would catch him looking at me. A small smile formed on my lips as I watched the scenery go by. Perhaps the boys were right. Maybe he did like like me. We arrived back at his house and headed inside, only to find Dr. and Mrs. Cullen in a heated embrace. Oh my. Edward let out a groan and grabbed my hand, tugging me away from the sight in front of me.

"Sorry about that. I swear, sometimes they forget that they have two teenagers living in the house," he said, while leading me upstairs toward his room.

"I think it's sweet. How long have they been married?"

"Twenty years. Mom was twenty and Dad was twenty-two when they got married. They had us three years later."

"Wow. I can't imagine that. Charlie and Renee divorced when I was ten. Renee took off after that and went through a slew of husbands. Apparently she's got a new one now," I said, my voice growing bitter.

Edward stopped outside his room and opened the door. I made a beeline for his couch, throwing myself on it. I let out a sigh as I felt myself sinking into the leather couch.

"I'm going to marry your couch," I told him, while stretching out.

"Fine by me. But the couch stays here," he grinned.

"I've got no problem with that. Although Charlie might."

"Oh yeah. Don't want your dad coming after me with a shotgun," he agreed, flinging himself on his bed.

We spent the next few hours talking and laughing, just getting to know one another. I was really enjoying my one on one time with Edward, but I knew it wouldn't last. Sure enough, Alice came bounding in and jumped on Edward's bed, followed by Jasper and Emmett.

"What up, love birds?" Emmett boomed, throwing himself onto my couch. I kicked him in an attempt to move him, but he wouldn't budge.

"You're on my couch," I told him.

"Your couch? I'm pretty sure this is Edward's couch."

"He gave it to me."

Edward raised his eyebrow at me. "Oh, I did, did I?"

"Don't you remember? In between declaring your undying love for me, you told me I could have it. You even offered to move it for me."

"Uh huh. I don't quite remember it like that," and then he threw a pillow at me, but managed to hit Emmett instead. Of course that started a huge pillow fight and soon enough the five of us were sprawled out across Edward's bed, attacking one another.

"What in the world is going on here?" Mrs. Cullen asked from the doorway.

"Pillow fight!" we all yelled, which sent us into peels of laughter. She shook her head at us and informed us that dinner was ready. After a delicious dinner, Rose came over and Alice whisked us away to get ready for the club. I was terrified and told them so.

"What's got you so scared?" Rose asked me.

"I'm afraid of making a fool out of myself on the dance floor. Sure, Alice showed me what to do, but I just know I'm going to look like an idiot. And then earlier today, when Edward and I went for ice cream, he asked me to save some dances for him. So now I'm going to dance with Edward and I'll probably end up breaking his toes!"

"Whoa, Bella. Calm down. Now go back to the part about you, Edward, ice cream and dancing," Rose said.

I took a deep breath and explained that Edward wanted me to dance with him and that I was so afraid of ruining his night by breaking him. Of course, Alice and Rose busted out laughing, assuring me that it would be fine. Before long, we were dressed to the nines in our dance clothes, hair and makeup done. We headed downstairs to find the boys waiting for us.

"Ow, ow! You ladies are looking good tonight!" Emmett exclaimed when he saw us. As annoying as he could be, he was good for my ego tonight.

"I have to agree. You ladies look hot," Jasper drawled, pulling Alice to him.

"Stunning. Absolutely stunning," Edward said, staring at me. I glanced shyly up at him, and told him thanks. The Cullen parents told us to have fun and be careful on the way home. We had agreed that Emmett's vehicle was the best one to take, since we all fit into it comfortably. Before long we were headed down the road to Port Angeles, music blaring, getting ready to get our groove on. This was going to be a night to remember.

* * *

A/N: Reviews are almost as good as Edward playing with your hair. Okay, not really, but I had to give it a try. Leave me some love!


	20. Truly Madly Deeply

Disclaimer: I own Twilight. No. I really do. I just let S.M. take all the credit. Okay, so I don't own it. I do own a new and shiny PS3.

A/N: Woot! Over 200 reviews! Yay! * doing a happy dance * Thank you all so much for the reviews.

* * *

I'll be your dream  
I'll be your wish  
I'll be your fantasy.  
I'll be your hope  
I'll be your love  
Be everything that you need.  
I love you more with every breath  
Truly madly deeply do.  
I will be strong I will be faithful  
'Cos I'm counting on a new beginning.  
A reason for living.  
A deeper meaning.

~Truly Madly Deeply~ Savage Garden

* * *

Surviving High School

As we pulled into the parking lot at Volturi, I was overcome with nerves once again. In a matter of minutes, I was going to be walking through the doors of some awesome dance club. It would be expected that I would get my groove on. I knew without a doubt, that neither Alice nor Rose would allow me to just sit in a booth and drink water. We got out of the Hummer, and each step that I took, brought me closer and closer to the door to dance fever hell. I reached out and grabbed the arm of the person closest to me. Edward.

"I can't do this."

"Can't do what?" he asked.

"Go in there. What was I thinking, agreeing to this? I don't dance. I can barely walk. I'm gonna make a complete ass out of myself. Worse yet, I'll break your toes when we dance," I rambled out in a moment of sheer panic.

Edward put both hands on my shoulders and bent down to look me in the eye. "Bella. What did I tell you yesterday? Didn't I tell you that I wouldn't let anything happen to you?"

I nodded.

He gave my shoulders a squeeze. "It's going to be fine. We're going to go in there, and have fun. We're gonna watch Emmett make an ass out of himself on the floor, we're gonna get nauseated from watching Alice and Jasper make googley eyes at each other, and we're gonna dance some slow dances together. Sound good?"

I nodded again. He was right. We were going to go have fun. And more importantly, I was going to get to dance with Edward. Which was only something that I'd been fantasizing about for years. I looked up at him and gave him a smile.

"You're right. We're gonna have a blast. Let's go watch Emmett break out his dance moves," and with that, we headed inside with the others.

Upon entering the club, I was immediately assaulted by the thumping bass. How the hell people were supposed to hear each other talk was beyond me. I noticed a bar to the right of the door, which struck me as funny, since they didn't serve alcohol. Ahead of us was a huge dance floor, where people were gathered, grinding up against one another. Not sure how I felt about that. Lining the dance floor, were a bunch of booths. Alice made a beeline towards one tucked away in a corner, where Angela and Ben were sitting. I began to follow her and Jasper, when some kid bumped into me, causing me to almost fall over. Immediately, Edward was there, steadying me and tucking me into his side.

Once in the booth, with Edward next to me, a waitress came over to get our order. Despite the fact that we'd eaten before we left, Emmett ordered hot wings, nachos, and Pepsi's for all of us. Rose had excused herself from the table and came back a few minutes later, with a devilish look in her eye. Not ten seconds later, Right Said Fred's _I'm Too Sexy_ began blaring across the club. Emmett jumped up from the booth, dragging Rose with him, and headed to the middle of the dance floor. The rest of us watched in amused horror as Emmett began strutting around the floor, gyrating his hips and grinding himself up against Rose.

"Please tell me, he's not going to take his shirt off," I yelled to Edward over the music.

"There's no telling what he might do. Although, I don't think the club allows stripping," he told me. I certainly hoped they had a no stripping policy. Then again, looking around at the way some of the girls were dressed, we might as well have been at a strip club. The music changed, thankfully, and soon they were playing some song by Rihanna. Alice and Angela climbed out of the booth, Alice grabbing my arm and urging me to follow her onto the floor. I sent Edward a pleading look, but he just gave me a smile and told me to have fun. Yeah, right. Fun. And there I was. On the dance floor, next to Alice, Angela, and Rose, surrounded by strangers. Everyone around me was dancing to the beat, having a great time. All I could focus on, was the fact that I was on a dance floor, being expected to dance.

"C'mon, Bella! Let loose. Move those hips!" Alice shouted at me. I awkwardly moved my hips and feet, feeling my face turn bright red, as it was obvious that I had no rhythm.

"Bella! You're over thinking. Just feel the music," Rose said, grabbing my hips, trying to help me find a rhythm. Emmett, had made his way over to us and his eyes lit up upon seeing Rose's hands on my hips.

"Well, well. What have we here?" Emmett asked.

Oh good Lord. My face was on fire. Before I could say anything, Rose spoke up.

"Mind out of the gutter. I'm just trying to help Bella get her rhythm."

"Just do what you were doing with Alice the other night. You got moves girl. Now start dancing!" Emmett hollered over the music. So I did. I did my best to try and move like Alice had taught me, and soon, the five of us were dancing up a storm. I was having a blast. After dancing a few more songs, I was thirsty and headed toward the bar to get something to drink. I was halfway there, when I spotted a familiar red head, heading toward Edward, Jasper, and Ben. Oh, hell no. That bitch was not getting her hands on Edward ever again. I quickly made a detour and headed toward our table. I got there the same time that Victoria did, sliding into the booth next to Edward, before she could make a move. He threw an arm around my shoulder as I slid in next to him and gave my shoulder a light squeeze.

"Looks like you were having a good time out there," he commented.

"I wasn't at first, but after I relaxed I did. I came to get something to drink and thought maybe you, Jasper, and Ben would like to join us on the floor." I loved the fact that he hadn't even acknowledged Victoria's existence.

"Definitely. After all, you owe me a few dances," he told me with a soft smile on his lips. I looked into his eyes and felt myself melting. Apparently, Victoria wasn't pleased that Edward hadn't acknowledged her, so she felt the need to make her presence known.

"Hi, Eddie."

He broke his gaze away from mine, and gave her a curt nod. Ha! Take that, bitch! He kept his arm around me and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Hey, they're playing a slow song. Want to dance?"

I grinned and grabbed his hand as I slid out of the booth. I noticed that Jasper and Ben had headed toward their girls, and that Emmett and Rose were swaying slowly together. So sweet. Edward held my hand on the way to the floor, ignoring Victoria and the glare she shot at both of us. We found a spot near the rest of our group, and Edward pulled me into his arms. His strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist, pressing his body into mine and I felt a delicious thrill go through me. I wound my arms around his neck, my fingers brushing his neck and the ends of his hair. Part of me wanted to just delve my fingers into his hair and never let go. He held me tightly as we swayed back and forth, and I rested my head on his shoulder, enjoying the moment. I could stay like this forever. I saw a flash from near us and looked over to see Alice holding her phone, a smile on her face. I returned her smile and snuggled myself in closer to Edward.

"I told you that you'd have nothing to worry about," he said, his hands squeezing my waist lightly.

"You were right. And I've managed not to break your toes."

"For which I am very glad."

All too soon, the song ended and was replaced by _I Gotta Feeling_ by the Black Eyed Peas. Edward twirled me around and started dancing goofy. I let out a laugh at how ridiculous he looked, but all too soon, I joined him. It was nice to let loose and just be. No worries, no drama, just me and Edward, and a club full of people. Several songs later, we all headed back to our table. Emmett ordered us a pitcher of Pepsi and some water, and then we all kicked back in the booth. I, somehow, found myself leaning with my head against Edward's shoulder, while his fingers tangled themselves in my hair. This was something I could get used to quite easily. I would be devastated if he didn't return the feelings that I had for him.

"Something on your mind?" he asked me.

I shook my head. I wasn't ready to tell him what I felt. I was pretty sure it was obvious that I had a crush on him, but he didn't need to know that I was unconditionally and irrevocably, in love with him. Somewhere along the way, Jasper brought up the fact that Victoria was around.

"She had better not even **think** about messing with us," Rose growled out, then she turned to me and Edward. "She didn't say anything to you, did she?"

"Nope," I said. "She did seem a bit upset that Edward and I were dancing, but honestly, who cares."

Twenty minutes later, I was hauled off to the bathroom with the girls. Once done, and hands washed, Alice pulled out her phone. "Look at this pic I took of Bella and Edward," she said, pulling it up on her phone. It really was a sweet picture. One that I wanted a copy of.

"You two make such a cute couple," Angela told me, as Alice and Rose agreed.

"Too bad we're not a couple," I said with a small sigh.

Alice wrapped an arm around me. "You will be. I have no doubt."

"Is your sixth sense telling you that?"

"Of course. That and it's obvious that the two of you belong together. Edward was never this relaxed when he was dating Victoria. He smiles a lot more when you're around, and that makes me happy."

After a few more minutes of girl talk, we headed toward the dance floor and got down to it. Pretty soon, the eight of us were dancing the night away, goofing off, and having a great time. The DJ announced that he was playing one more song, and then the club would be closing. Savage Garden's _Truly Madly Deeply_ began playing, and I melted into Edward's embrace. We slowly swayed, barely moving and then I heard it.

"I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy. I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need."

Holy shit! Edward was singing to me. His beautiful, mesmerizing voice was warm against my ear. I held onto him tighter and finally did what I'd been dieing to do all night. I delved my fingers into his thick hair and played with the strands. He let out a low moan and lust swept through my body. God, he was hot! It would be so easy to pull his head down and press my lips to his. But I didn't. As silly as it was, I wanted him to take the initiative and kiss me first. As my fingers continued to play in his hair, his right hand made it's way up to my back where it rubbed small circles. I let out a little sigh and rested my head against his shoulder, enjoying the romance of it all. Too soon, the song ended and we all gathered up our stuff. After saying goodnight to Angela and Ben, we headed out to Emmett's Hummer. The ride home was filled with lots of laughter and lots of talking.

"So, Bella. Did you have a good time?" Alice asked me.

"Yes. I did. I had a great time," and it was true.

"I knew you would."

We pulled into the Cullen's drive, piled out, and headed inside. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen were in the sitting room when we came in.

"Did you have fun, dears?"

We all told her that we did and then headed upstairs to sleep off the night. I woke up the next morning, feeling wide awake, and excited to spend time with Edward. After showers and breakfast, we all discussed our plans for the day. Each of the couples had decided to have a date day, which was fine with me. I hadn't really been looking forward to going shopping with Alice, and now I didn't have to. I wasn't sure why she'd changed her mind and decided to hang out with Jasper, but I wasn't about to argue. I figured I'd just go home and get some homework done, but Edward asked me to stay. Like I would say no. Mrs. Cullen had assured me it would be fine if I wanted to hang out, so I called Charlie and let him know that I would be home later that evening. An hour later, I was headed down to the den with Edward. Edward had commandeered one of the couches, so I went over and sat at the other end. Before I could get comfortable, Edward reached out and tugged me over to his end.

"I don't bite, you know," he told me.

And in true Bella fashion, I replied, "that's too bad." Edward let out a husky laugh.

We had decided to make today a Doctor Who marathon and watch the first few seasons, if possible. I was delighted and ecstatic to find that Edward was a Whovian as well. Halfway through the second disc, Edward claimed he was hungry and wanted something sweet. He came back down a few minutes later with some cupcakes on a plate. I held one of the cupcakes up in front of me, admiring the culinary beauty that it was. It almost seemed a crime to eat it. I was about to take a nibble, when a long finger swiped through the icing. What the? I watched in fascination as Edward lifted his iced finger and stuck it in his mouth, licking off the sugary confection. He let out a moan and I almost let one out as well. That was so fucking hot. I was so preoccupied with his mouth, that I almost didn't notice him attempt to go after my treat again. I yanked my cupcake out of his reach and told him to get his own, to which he replied that he'd eaten them already. Well, too bad. I decided to tease the man. I ran my finger through the icing and made a big production of licking it off and I heard a sharp intake of breath beside me. That's right. Two can play this game. I swept my finger through the icing again, then he grabbed my hand and brought my finger up to his lips. Very gently, his tongue reached out and licked the icing off my finger. It was so erotic, it left me gasping for breath. Once my finger was clean of icing, he leaned down as if he was going to kiss me. Instead, he took a bite of my cupcake.

"You jerk! This is my cupcake!"

"Well you should've eaten it then. Instead you're flaunting it in front of me."

I narrowed my eyes. Oh he wanted my cupcake did he? Then I'd give it to him. I took my cupcake and held it up to his mouth. Just as he was about to take a bite, I smashed it into the side of his face. The incredulous look on his face, had me dieing. I was doubled over on the couch, laughing my ass off.

"You're in for it now, Bella!" he roared.

He grabbed me and started digging his fingers into my sides, which sent me into more peels of laughter. He took his left hand and held my head steady, then proceeded to rub his face on mine, transferring icing.

"Jerk!" I managed to get out, between bouts of laughter.

"Me? You're the one who smashed her cupcake in my face!"

"That's what you get, for taking a bite of my cupcake."

He helped pull me into a sitting position, then started laughing as he looked at me. I was sure we were both a mess. I had cupcake and frosting on the corner of my mouth and felt some on my cheek. I reached my hand up to wipe it off, but Edward stopped me. He pulled me to him, bent his head, and gently swiped his tongue over the corner of my mouth, until the frosting was gone. I was on fire. My whole body erupted up in flames and trembled. Edward Cullen's mouth was on mine. I turned my head slightly and found myself captured by his piercing green eyes as he pulled back. His gaze kept flickering down to my lips, and then, he pressed his lips to mine. It was a gentle kiss. Just two sets of lips pressing against the other. My lips parted on a sigh and his tongue rasped over my lips, tasting, licking away any remains of the sugary treat. I was so sure that this was a dream. There was no way this could be real. Very slowly, we parted and I knew for a fact that my face was flushed. He ran the back of his fingers over my cheek.

"Such a pretty blush."

Which of course caused me to blush even more. Letting out a sigh, he sat back and I hoped to hell he wasn't regretting kissing me.

"What? Of course not. I've been wanting to kiss you for a while now."

Oh shit! I'd said that out loud. Wait. He said he'd been wanting to kiss me for a while! Squee!

"Actually, I wanted us to hang out alone today because I wanted to ask you something."

I turned a bit so I was facing him, pushing my hair out of my face. "What did you want to ask me?"

I watched in fascination as his cheeks turned pink. "Um...I was wondering if you wanted to go to homecoming with me?"

"Of course!" I practically shouted, as I threw myself at him. He laughed as he caught me and buried his nose in my hair.

"In that case, would you be willing to go on a date with me sometime next week?"

"Uh huh," I managed to mumble out against his shirt.

"Excellent."

I pushed myself away from his chest and saw that he had the same goofy-ass grin on his face that I was sure was on mine. Then I looked down and realized that I'd managed to get cupcake and frosting on his shirt. He saw where I was looking and busted out laughing. We were a mess. I excused myself and headed upstairs to the bathroom to wash my face. I emerged a few minutes later, fresh faced, and went back to the den. Edward wasn't back yet, so I put in the next disc and stretched out on the couch. A few minutes later, Edward strolled back in wearing an old, battered shirt that stretched deliciously over his chest. Hmmm. He flashed me a grin and climbed behind me on the couch. Oh, God. It was just like my dream.

"Is this okay?" he asked, as he put an arm around my waist.

"Yep."

"Oh, that's right. You like my touch," he said, with a hint of a smirk in his voice.

Of course he remembered that. I hit him in the chest with the palm of my hand. "Don't be a jerk."

He grabbed my palm, brought it to his lips, and pressed a kiss to the middle of it. "Sorry."

I turned my attention back to the TV, hyper aware of Edward behind me. If you asked me what was happening in the show, I wouldn't be able to tell you. All I could focus on was Edward.

"You okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm good."

"You seem a bit preoccupied. What's wrong, Bella?"

I turned over so I was on my back and gazed up at him. "Nothing's wrong. I promise. I'm just...is this real? Did you really ask me out on a date and to homecoming?"

He smiled down at me and tucked a lock my hair behind my ear. "Yes, yes, and yes. I also kissed you. Can't forget that," he replied with a wink.

Cheeky bastard.

"Oh, yes. Can't forget the kiss."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you saying my kisses are forgettable?"

"Of course not."

"I didn't think so," he said, as he lowered his head and kissed me, his lips melting so sweetly over mine. It was just a warm brush, gentle and sweet, yet perfect. As our lips parted, I told him that I was afraid that this was a dream. He reassured me that this was very real and that he wanted me. I was on cloud nine. The rest of the day was spent cuddling, talking and sharing sweet kisses. I hated to leave, even though I knew that I would see him tomorrow at school.

* * *

I arrived at school with plenty of time to spare, and made my way to my locker to gather my crap. I had a stupid, goofy grin on my face that I couldn't seem to get rid of. I knew it was noticeable, so I did my best to school my features. It so wasn't working.

"Hey, Bells."

"Hey, Ben."

"That's some grin. What's gotten into you? Or should I say who?"

My jaw dropped open. That was it! Ben was no longer allowed to hang out with Emmett anymore. I smacked him on the chest with my notebook, before putting it in my bag.

"I'm just in a good mood, that's all."

"Uh huh. There's something you're not telling me, Swan."

"Maybe."

"Spill."

"Edward asked me to homecoming and asked me out on a date."

"About time. Dude's been mooning over you forever."

"Really?" I still found it hard to believe that Edward wanted to be with me.

"Yep. So are you two officially a couple?"

"Um...I don't know. He only asked me yesterday."

Alice came flying over to me, before Ben could ask me anything else, and swept me up in a hug. "I'm so excited! I had no idea he was going to ask you to the dance! Oh, I'm so happy!"

She was happy? I was happy. Scratch that. I was fucking ecstatic. I was about to say something to her, when a warm arm wrapped itself around my waist. I smiled and looked up at Edward.

"Morning!"

"Morning, Beautiful."

Cue swoon. Ben and Emmett made gagging noises, causing both Rose and Angela to smack them upside their heads. Served them right. Homeroom and English passed quickly, and before it I knew it, it was time for gym. Edward met me outside of English and walked me to class, all the while talking.

"So how is it you're allowed to participate in gym? Don't they realize that you're a danger, not only to yourself, but to others as well?"

"I know right! I've tried to explain this to Coach Clapp, but he refuses to let me out of this stupid class. We're doing volleyball, and you know how athletic I am."

"Be careful. I don't want you getting hurt," he said, pressing a kiss to my head as we arrived at the gym door. Sadly, I wasn't able to promise that, but I did promise to be as careful as I could be. Yet, thirty minutes later, I was sitting on the gym floor, cradling my right arm to my chest. My right wrist was broken, of that I had no doubt. I'd broken enough bones to know. I wasn't real clear on how I managed to break it, but it had something to do with running away from the volleyball, while someone else was running for it. There was a collision of sorts, and down I went, using my arm to break my fall. Not the best of ideas. I assured Coach Clapp that I was perfectly capable of walking to the nurse's office by myself, but he refused to let me, making Mike go with me. I let out a scowl when I saw Mike approach me. I had nothing to say to him.

"How you feeling, Bella?"

Seriously? He wanted to make small talk. "My wrist is broken. It fucking hurts." And that was the end of that conversation. Ten minutes later, Charlie had been called and was on his way to get me. I asked the nurse if she could have Alice, Angela or Rose get my backpack out of the locker room for me and meet me at my truck. She agreed, and a few minutes later, Alice walked toward me carrying my bag.

"Oh my God, Bella! What happened? Are you okay?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

"I'll be fine, Alice. I'm pretty sure it's broken though. Charlie should be here in a few minutes to take me to the hospital. Let Edward know I'm okay. I'm sure he'll freak out."

She assured me she'd let him know and told me to call her once I got home. I agreed and went outside to wait for Charlie. Twenty minutes later, I was getting my wrist x-rayed.

"Well, Bella. You managed to break your wrist. I'm afraid you're gonna be in a cast for the next six weeks, give or take," Dr. Hot informed me, after looking at my x-rays. "Do I need to explain to you what the next few weeks are going to be like or...?"

"Nope. We're pretty much experts on broken bones. We know what to expect."

"It is gonna suck, since I'm right handed though," I said.

"When we put the cast on, we'll try to leave some room for your fingers to move, but you might not be able to grasp a pencil very well."

This was gonna suck. I left the hospital an hour later, sporting a light blue cast. I had told Charlie that I was fine to go back to school, but he wouldn't hear of it. I sat on the couch at home after Charlie went back to work, and began channel surfing. Ugh. Nothing on, but daytime drama. I remembered that I'd told Alice that I'd call her, so I dug my phone out of my bag to send her a text and saw that I had six messages. Three of them from Edward, one each from Alice, Angela and Ben. I opened Edward's messages first.

_Alice told me wht happened. Are you ok?_

_Text back when you get this message, im worried abt u_

_biology is so boring w/out u. txt me plz_

Aw. He was worried about me. I went to text him back, and realized that texting with one hand wasn't going to be easy. I managed it though. Sort of. There were lots of misspelled words, but I told him I was fine and to call me when he got out of class. Then I sent a mass message to Alice, Angela, and Ben, letting them know that I was alive and well. At some point, I must have dozed off, because I woke up to my phone ringing.

"Hello," I answered, groggily.

"Bella! How are you?" came Edward's warm voice.

"Edward, I'm okay. My wrist on my right hand is broken, but other than that, I'm fine."

"Aw, Bella. Didn't I tell you to be careful in gym?" he teased.

"I was! I swear. I was running away from the volleyball and somehow I collided with someone and used my hand to break my fall."

"So you've got what, six weeks in the cast?"

"Something like that. Oh no! Homecoming is in two weeks. I've ruined everything!" I wailed, as it dawned on me.

"Shh. You didn't ruin anything. We're still going to the dance. Even if you'd broken your leg, we'd still be going. You still up for going on a date with me?"

"Of course. I suppose I should let Charlie know."

"Uh...yeah. I suppose so. He won't shoot me, will he?"

"Don't be silly. Charlie wouldn't do that," at least I didn't think he would. I'd have to make sure none of his guns were within reach when Edward came over.

"Want to go out to dinner Wednesday night?"

"I'd love that."

"Great!"

We talked for a few more minutes and then hung up. The minute I was off the phone with him, I stood up and started dancing around the living room. I was going on a date with Edward, I was going on a date with Edward! I spun my self around circles, giddy about it all. I was such a dork.

At around six, Sue and Seth showed up on the doorstep, carrying a large pizza and bread sticks. Sue gave me a hug, while Seth patted me on the head like I was a dog. I shot him an annoyed look that only caused him to laugh at me.

"Hope you don't mind us dropping by? Charlie called and told me that you'd broken your wrist and I figured you wouldn't be up to cooking," she told me, as Seth carried the pizza into the kitchen.

"I don't mind at all. Thank you."

Sue informed me that Charlie wouldn't be home till around eight, so we went ahead and ate, while talking about our day. Sue asked me if I'd had fun on Saturday night at the club and I told her that I'd had a blast. Somehow or another, we ended up on the topic of boys, once Seth had left the room and gone to watch some TV.

"So, homecoming is coming up soon, right?"

"Yeah."

"Are you going with anyone?"

"Uh huh."

"You do realize that you're going to have to let Charlie know?"

Crap. I'd forgotten about that. Might as well tell him that I was going to homecoming with Edward, when I told him that I was going out with him on Wednesday as well.

"Yeah. I actually have a date Wednesday night, so I should let Charlie know that as well," I said with a sigh. Then a thought occurred to me. Maybe having Sue around when I told him would defuse the tension a bit. "Would you mind staying with me when I tell him?"

She let out a laugh and grinned, "No problem. Poor Charlie. His little girl is growing up and he hates it."

I was a bundle of nerves by the time Charlie walked through the door. After he'd eaten some pizza and gotten comfortable on the couch with a beer, I approached him. Sue was sitting next to him, while Seth was sprawled out in Charlie's recliner.

"Hey, Bells! How's the wrist feeling?"

I shrugged. "It hurts a bit, but I'm used to it. Um...Dad. There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

He immediately sat up straighter and gripped his beer can. "What's going on?"

I felt the blush creeping over my face before I even began. This was going to suck. "I...uh...wanted to let you know that Edward asked me out to dinner Wednesday night and to homecoming. I agreed to go to both with him." I refused to look at Charlie, and had mumbled all this to the floor. There was silence after I'd spoken, and I was waiting for the explosion to occur. I didn't have to wait long.

"This Edgar kid asked you out and you just said yes? Didn't he just get out of a relationship with that mean girl who was picking on you? Seems he's going through women awfully fast. You can't go out with him! What if he has a criminal record?" he rambled out, with a hint of panic in his voice.

Sue patted his hand and told him to take deep breaths. "Charlie. It's fine. Bella is seventeen. You knew that this day was going to happen."

"But Sue..."

"No, Charlie. Let it go. You know, as well as I do, that Edward doesn't have a criminal record. You know his parents and that he was raised right. There are worse people she could be going out with."

He let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "I know, but I don't have to like it." He then turned to look at me, and I finally met his gaze. "I want to meet him when he comes to get you on Wednesday."

I nodded. That was fine with me. I just prayed that he wouldn't be polishing his shotgun when I let Edward in.

* * *

The next two days passed in a blur. All I could think about was my upcoming date with Edward. Word had gotten out around school that we were dating, which technically, wasn't true. We weren't dating. Yet. I was being sent lots of hateful glares from girls that wanted Edward. There was the occasional name calling or rude whisper about me, but I honestly didn't care. All that mattered to me, was that Edward had asked me out. Not them. I was in the bathroom after English, when I ran into Victoria. I'd done a fairly good job of staying out of her way, but at a school this small, it was inevitable. I washed my hands as quickly as possible and made a beeline for the door. I'd almost made it, when Victoria's voice stopped me.

"Isabella. Can we talk for a moment?"

Crap. I really didn't want to hear what she had to say, but she did manage to ask me in a semi-civilized tone. I turned to look at her, figuring I could always beat her with my cast if thing's went wrong.

"What do you want, Victoria?" I asked in a weary voice.

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Are you and Edward dating?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business," I told her. "But I will have you know, that Edward never cheated on you with me. All we were was friends."

"I know," she said in a quiet voice. "It was just easier to believe that than deal with the fact that we were falling apart. We'd been together for two years. As foolish as it seems, I thought we'd be together forever."

I kinda stood there, trying to figure out what she was playing at. Did she want sympathy? Forgiveness? I couldn't figure it out.

"Look, I wanted to let you know that I was sorry."

Well fuck a duck. Was she for real?

"Seriously? You're sorry. Sorry for what, exactly?" I asked her.

"Everything. For being such a bitch to you, for being a bitch to Edward. For the threats, the rumors, for turning your friends against you."

I was floored. Completely floored.

"Why the change of heart?" I was dieing to know what had brought this about.

"I've met someone. A great guy. His name is James Tracker. He's a junior at Pacific College who is studying psychology. He's really opened my eyes and made me realize just how much of a bitch that I can be."

Wow. I didn't know what to say.

"I'll tell the girls to lay off of you. I really am sorry," she said once more, then walked out, leaving me stunned.

This had to be a trick of some sort. I mean, really. The mean girl doesn't just change her ways like that. I headed off to gym, glad that I was able to sit out and ponder what had just happened. By the end of class, I still had no idea what was going on. I went to lunch and brought up my encounter to the group.

"So, what do you think?" I asked them.

"She's up to something," was Rose's reply.

Angela seemed to think that it was possible for Victoria to change her attitude. The rest of us were on the fence about it. Edward was quiet throughout our discussion, and when I asked him his thoughts, he told me that he didn't want to spend today thinking about her.

"After all, we've got a date planned for tonight."

I smiled at him. "So what time are you getting me?"

"Around six, if that's alright," he said, running his fingers up and down my arm.

"Works for me. Charlie wants to meet you before we go."

He gave me a weary look. "He isn't going to shoot me, is he?"

"I hope not. I can't promise that he won't be playing with his guns when you meet him though."

Edward let out a shudder and squeezed my arm. The talk around our table had grown quiet as we discussed our plans for the evening. We both noticed that the table was staring at us and I started to blush.

"What?" Edward asked them.

"Brother dear, did I hear you correctly? You're taking Bella on a date tonight?" she shrieked.

"Yep," he said, flashing me a grin and pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"And you!" she turned to glare at me. "You didn't tell me! I thought we were friends," she said, with a quiver in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Alice. Really, I am. It's been a crazy week. How about if you come over and help me get ready?" I asked in order to make peace.

"Okay. Where are you going?"

I shrugged. I didn't have a clue. "Edward hasn't told me."

Alice turned her glare to Edward. "Well?"

"Out to dinner."

"Edward," she whined, "I need more than that. I have to figure out what she's going to wear. Is it fancy, is it casual? Help me out here!"

"Casual dressy, I guess."

Alice let out a huff, then informed me she was coming home with me to help me get ready. Dear Lord, please help me. Granted, I had a bunch of new clothes that I could now wear, thanks to Alice. The rest of my day seemed to drag on and on. I was ready for school to end, so I could go home and get ready. At least, the final bell rang. I gave Edward a quick peck on the cheek, grabbed Alice, and climbed into Chuck. Once home, Alice went through my closet and pulled out a cute knit dress that she paired with a pair of low-heeled boots. She then spent the next hour working on my hair, curling it and letting it hang down. Then she got to work on my makeup. I was thrilled with the final results. Alice left around five, so I sat around in my pretty dress, waiting for Charlie to get home and Edward to arrive. Charlie walked in the door and hung up his gun belt.

"You look real pretty, Bells."

"Thanks, Dad," I said, my stomach full of butterflies. I was stupid to be nervous. It was Edward. It's not like I hadn't already been kissed by the boy. Not that Charlie needed to know that.

Charlie sat down in his recliner, uniform still on and stared at the clock. Well, this wasn't going to be awkward at all.

"What time is he getting you?"

"Six."

I looked at the clock and noticed that it was now five forty-five. Fifteen minutes until my first date with Edward. And of course those fifteen minutes, dragged on and on, until finally, the bell rang at five till.

"Hmph. At least he's prompt," Charlie said, getting up and heading toward the door. Aw, crap. I tried to get to the door before he did, but the look he gave me, made me sit back down.

"Be nice, Dad."

"It's my duty as your father and the Chief of Police, to terrorize my daughter's date," he said, then opened the door. There stood Edward, a single rose in his hand, and looking delicious.

"Come in, Edwin."

"His name is _Edward_, Dad! You know that," I scowled at him.

Thankfully, Edward wasn't insulted. He gave me a smile, then held out his hand for Charlie to shake. Begrudgingly, Charlie shook Edward's hand and invited him inside. The next few minutes, were awkward at best. Charlie grilled Edward about where he was taking me, but all Edward would say was that it was a nice restaurant in Port Angeles. Charlie then grilled him about when he was bringing me home. Finally, Charlie let us leave. I hoped that Edward hadn't made reservations somewhere, because we would've ended up late. We headed toward the Volvo, where Edward opened the door for me. As I was sliding into the car, I heard Charlie yell at Edward to keep his hands and lips to himself. Oh God, I was dieing of embarrassment. Edward, on the other hand, was cracking up as he got into the driver's seat.

"I'm so sorry about him."

"It's okay, Bella. He's just looking out for you," he told me laughing. "By the way, you look beautiful tonight."

"Thanks. You do too."

He glanced at me, as we drove down the street and gave me a sexy grin. "You think I'm beautiful, huh?"

"Yes," I said quietly, as he reached over and took my hand.

I knew that we were headed to Port Angeles and was excited to see what restaurant he was taking me to. The ride was quiet, filled with the sound of Debussy coming through the speakers and my hand was still tucked in his. Every so often his thumb would brush over my hand and I felt like I was in Heaven. All I could think, was that this was going to be the best date ever.

* * *

A/N: What's up with Victoria? Is she sincere or is this some kind of game that she's playing? Only time will tell. So who's excited about Bella and Edward's date? I am!


	21. Kiss Me

Disclaimer: * looks around her crappy apartment * Nope. Don't own Twilight.

A/N: How do you feel about a date with Edward? How about two dates with Edward? I'm all for that, and so is Bella. Let the romance commence. Oh yeah, there might be a bit of shopping. Can't forget that. Alice would bitch-slap me if I did.

* * *

Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight  
Lead me out on the moonlit floor  
Lift your open hand  
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance  
Silver moon's sparkling  
So kiss me

Kiss me down by the broken tree house  
Swing me upon its hanging tire  
Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat  
We'll take the trail marked on your father's map

~Kiss Me~ Sixpence None the Richer

* * *

Surviving High School

I still had no idea where we were going for dinner, but Edward assured me that I'd like it. He pulled into the parking lot of Cafe Garden, parked the car, and came around to open my door for me. I'd never been to Cafe Garden before, but it looked cute and slightly pricey. Edward held my hand as we entered the restaurant and asked for a table for two. We were shown to a quiet table in the corner and handed our menus. After asking for an iced-tea, while Edward ordered water, I looked over the menu. Ouch. I was right about it being a bit pricey. Only one thing on the menu was under ten bucks, and that was a burger. There was no way I was going to eat a messy burger in this dress. I'd probably spill on it, and then Alice would kill me. I had no idea what to order, so I asked Edward what he was getting.

"Hmmm...probably a steak. What about you?"

I gave the menu another look and still had no idea. I needed to find something that I would be able to eat using my left hand. "No idea. Something that doesn't require me to use a knife," I told him.

"How do you feel about seafood?"

"I love it."

"Then you should try the seafood pot pie. It's delicious, you don't need a knife to cut it, and it comes with a salad on the side."

"Sounds good," I told him, hoping like hell that I could eat it without spilling on myself.

After the waiter came back and we had placed our orders, Edward began a round of twenty questions. He said he wanted to get to know me better, and I wanted to know more about him as well.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked me, before taking a sip of his water.

"It changes all the time, but I would say that it's green," I said while staring into his memorizing green eyes, and then I blushed. "What about you?"

"Brown," he replied. I wrinkled my nose at his answer.

"Brown? Brown is so boring."

"No it isn't. Brown is warm. Brown is the color of your hair. The color of your eyes, and I really love your eyes," he said, reaching over and sweeping my hair away from my face. I was sure I was red, but I couldn't find it in myself to care. This boy was too sweet.

"Um...what's your favorite animal?" I asked, trying to divert the attention away from me.

"Mountain lions. What's your favorite gemstone?"

"Emerald," I blurted out before thinking and blushed yet again.

"Why the blush?" he asked, chin resting on his hand.

"Uh...normally topaz is my favorite, but well...uh...your eyes are the color of emeralds," I finally said, embarrassed at my admission.

He reached out and grabbed my left hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Our waiter arrived with our food, and Edward was right. The seafood pot pie was delicious and I managed to eat it without too much trouble. By the time dinner was over, I'd learned that Edward played the piano, loved Debussy as much as he loved Queen, and had a collection of movies staring James Dean. After paying the bill, Edward led us back to the Volvo. He checked his watch and asked if I would like to go for a walk. I told him that I'd love to, so we drove down to the city pier, where we parked and got out. It was a bit chilly out and I was glad that the dress I wore had long sleeves. Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, we started our walk down to the beach. We passed by the Feiro Marine Life Center, and I got up the nerve to ask Edward if he wanted to visit it with me this weekend.

"I'd love that. When did you want to go?" he asked, pulling me in closer as we approached the beach and stepped onto the sand.

"Would Saturday be okay? I was thinking I could make a picnic and we could eat lunch on the beach, then head to the marine center."

"I think that sounds great," he said, tugging my hand and pulling me down onto the sand with him. He sat down, and motioned for me to sit between his legs, wrapping his arms around my waist. It was sheer bliss. We watched the waves in silence, just taking in the beauty of the harbor, content just being with each other. The wind had a chilly bite to it, but that just allowed me to sink further into Edward's warm embrace. His chin was resting on my head, and every so often, I'd feel him press a kiss into my hair.

"Hey, Bella?"

"Hmmm?"

"We should probably be heading back. I told the Chief I'd have you back before it got too late, since it's a school night and all."

Reluctantly, I untangled myself from him and got up; holding out a hand to him. He grabbed my hand, and we slowly walked back toward his car, not wanting the night to end. We spent the drive home talking quietly, and I told him that I'd had a wonderful time.

"I'm glad. I can't wait for our date on Saturday, and then the dance next weekend."

"I'm excited too. Guess, I'll have to let Alice taking me shopping to get a dress for the dance."

"Weren't you supposed to go shopping with her last weekend?"

"Yep, but apparently she got so caught up in club dancing and being with Jasper, that she forgot. And I sure wasn't about to remind her."

He let out a laugh. "Nice. You know she'll make up for it, when you go dress shopping."

"I know," I said on a sigh.

All too soon for my liking, we pulled into my drive. He turned the car off, got out and came over to open my door. Part of me wanted to tell Edward that I was capable of opening my own door, but there was part of me that reveled in the sweetness of it. It was such an old-fashioned gesture; one that I'm sure Mrs. Cullen had instilled in him. He held my hand as he walked with me to the door, then tugged me to stop.

"I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Unless you plan on sneaking in my window and watching me sleep," I joked.

He flashed me a grin. "Well, the idea has merit, but I'm afraid the Chief wouldn't like that much."

I could only imagine Charlie's reaction if he found Edward sneaking into my room. "Guess you'd have to be quiet and not get caught."

"Would you like that? Me sneaking into your room in the middle of the night?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist, tugging me closer to him.

"Hmmm...," was my response, as his lips pressed onto mine. It was a quick kiss, and I pouted as he pulled his lips away.

"I'm sure your dad is standing right inside the door. The last thing I want to do is give him a reason to shoot me."

I hated that he was right. Charlie was probably standing behind the door, waiting for it to open. I pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth, said goodnight, then headed inside. Surprisingly, Charlie wasn't standing behind the door. But he was sitting on the couch, his eyes shooting daggers towards it. Sue was sitting next to him, watching the TV. I shut the door and made my way over to the recliner.

"How was your date, Bella?" Sue asked me, once I sat down.

I couldn't contain the giant smile that came over my face. "I had a great time. Edward's such a gentleman."

Sue turned the TV off and gave me her undivided attention. "Tell me all about it."

It surprised me, how much I wanted to tell her. If Renee had a maternal bone in her body, it would be her I was telling, but I had Sue and was happy with that. It was nice to have a motherly figure that I could talk to, especially regarding certain topics that would be too embarrassing for Charlie and I to discuss. Charlie, was sitting there, looking disgruntled, and I could tell he really didn't want to hear about my date.

"He took me to the Cafe Garden in Port Angeles. It's such a nice place, kind of expensive though. I had no idea what to order, and with my right hand being out of a commission, well...I didn't want to make a fool of myself. I ended up ordering this seafood pot pie and it was awesome!"

"Oh, I love Cafe Garden. Harry took me there for one our anniversaries. Such a lovely place. What did you guys do after dinner?"

"He drove us down to the city pier and we went down to the beach. We just sat and talked a bit, then came home."

"Oh, I'm so glad that you had a good time!" Sue told me, getting up and giving me a hug. Charlie had yet to say a word, and that made me a bit nervous. I looked at Sue and she leaned down and whispered in my ear not to worry about him. I bid them goodnight and headed upstairs to get ready for bed. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand and saw that it was a little after nine-thirty. After turning the computer on, I waited impatiently for it to load up. Once I was online, I logged into my Facebook. The first thing I noticed was Edward's status. **Edward Cullen**_had a great night!_ Aw. I updated my status as well. **Bella Swan** _had a fantastic time!_ I loaded up some games and easily killed the next thirty minutes.

I was about to log off when I saw that I had notifications. I clicked on it and saw that I had several comments under my status. Angela, Alice, and Rose were all requesting details about my fantastic time. Emmett had decided to elaborate on my fantastic time. He wrote _ogling my ass_. I giggled when I read it, then commented that I did not have a fantastic time ogling his ass. I'd seen it and he needed to do some butt clenches to tighten it up. I was sure I was going to pay for that little comment tomorrow. Then I noticed that Jessica had commented on my status. I had never removed her as my friend, and apparently, she hadn't removed me either. I was almost afraid to read what she had written, but figured what the hell. Jessica had written _ doing what? Being a boyfriend stealing bitch_. I rolled my eyes. Whatever. I deleted her comment, then removed her from my friends' list. I was not going to let her possessed ass ruin my wonderful evening. I logged off and climbed into my bed, thinking about how well my first date had gone.

* * *

The rest of the week flew by. The news of my date with Edward had spread through the halls of Forks High like wildfire. I wasn't sure how people knew, but it was a small town. I had been asked by several girls if he was my boyfriend, and I ignored their question. I wasn't sure what answer to give. We'd been on one date, and yes, we had another one planned, but that didn't make us a couple. On Friday, I pulled Alice aside after school and asked for help getting ready for my date with Edward. She was more than ecstatic to come over and help me out.

"Where are you guys going tomorrow?" she asked me, digging through my closet once again.

"Oh, I asked him if he wanted to go the marine center with me in Port Angeles."

"Aw. That's so sweet that you asked him. What are you doing Sunday?"

"Nothing that I know of. Homework maybe. Why?"

"Don't think I've forgotten about us going shopping. We'll hit up one of the malls in Seattle, so we'll have to leave here early to get a full day of shopping in. Do you mind if Mom and Rose come with us?"

"Sure. So how early are we talking?"

"We'll come get you around nine, that way we can get to Seattle a little after 11, when the mall opens."

Ugh. I really didn't want to go shopping, but I did need to get a dress for homecoming. Once Alice found an outfit for me that she deemed suitable, she headed home. I was goofing around on Facebook, when I heard Charlie come home.

"Hey, Bells!"

"Hey, Dad," I yelled back, then headed downstairs to talk to him.

I found him in his recliner, feet propped up, drinking a beer. "So, what are your plans for this weekend?"

I sat on the couch and looked at him. "Well...uh...Edward and I are going to the marine center in Port Angeles tomorrow afternoon, and then I'm going shopping with Alice and Mrs. Cullen on Sunday."

Charlie ran a hand through his hair and set his beer down. "Bella, we need to have a talk."

Crap. This could not be good. I made myself meet his gaze head on. "What did you want to talk about?"

"How serious are you and that Edison boy?"

"_Dad!_"

"Fine. Edward. Now answer the question."

"We just started dating. We're not that serious."

"Is he your boyfriend?" he questioned me.

"Sort of, I guess," I answered.

Charlie nodded his head. I noticed that his cheeks were slightly pink, and then I knew what was coming. "I knew this day would come," he muttered under his breath. Then he took a deep breath and stared at a spot on the wall. "I really wish you'd wait till you're older to date, but I realize that I can't stop you. I know what it's like to be a teenager, ruled by your hormones," he began.

Oh, God. Kill me now. Charlie was going to give me the sex talk.

"Dad, it's fine. Uh...Renee had this talk with me before she left," I rambled out, in an attempt to end this conversation as quickly as possible.

He ran his hands over his face. "I can only imagine how well that went. God, I wish Sue were here to talk to you. Look, just be careful if you decide to..uh...do anything. Although, Renee and I thought we were being safe and we got you, so...uh...it doesn't always work. Just don't do it!"

I couldn't help but let out a snicker. As embarrassing as this was, it was also funny as hell. Charlie's sex lecture consisted of "just don't do it."

"This isn't funny, Bella. I'm trying to be serious here."

"Dad. I know. I've had sex-ed, I've read books, I know. _If_ we get to that point, we'll be safe. I promise," I told him, face bright red and looking anywhere but at him.

"Okay. Well...glad that's over," he told me, then turned his attention back to the TV.

I escaped from the room as quickly as possible, and made my way upstairs. I sprawled out on my bed, book in hand, when my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bella." Edward. I let out a sigh as I heard his voice. "How's the wrist doing?"

"Eh. It's fine. Starting to itch a bit, but no biggie. So, what's up?"

"Nothing. Just missed hearing your voice."

I rolled onto my back and let out another sigh. He was too sweet. "I enjoy hearing your voice as well."

"So I hear you're going shopping Sunday?"

"Yep. The way I see it, it can't be any more torture than the conversation I just had with Charlie," and of course I wished I'd kept my mouth shut, the minute I said that.

"Why?"

"Oh, uh...nothing. So are you excited about our date tomorrow?" I asked, trying to distract him.

"Uh uh, Bella. Tell me about this conversation with the Chief."

Even though he couldn't see me, my face was bright red and I turned to bury it in the pillow on my bed. "Hegavemeasextalk," I mumbled out.

"He what?"

"Don't make me say it again! It was bad enough saying it the first time. It's not something I want to repeat. Ever."

I heard laughter coming from his end of the phone. Despite the fact that he was being a jerk, I couldn't help but grin at the sound of his laughter.

"Oh man. I can't even begin to imagine what he had to say," he said between bouts of laughter.

I let out a sigh. "It basically came down to, just don't do it." And that set Edward off again. We spent the next hour talking to each other, before I heard him yawning. I told him goodnight and that I'd be by to pick him up around noon tomorrow.

Saturday morning, I awoke before nine. I was excited about my second date with Edward, and was pleased to see that it wasn't raining. I headed downstairs and checked the weather on the TV, and saw that it was going to be in the mid-fifties and cloudy. It was no sunshine, but I'd take what I could get. I headed into the kitchen and gathered the ingredients I would need for today's picnic. Since I pretty much only had the use of one arm, I went with something simple. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I hoped he wouldn't mind. There was something comforting and childlike about eating PB&J on a picnic. I grabbed a bag of chips and some soda as well, and put them into the picnic hamper that I'd gotten out of the closet. Once that was done, I put the hamper in the fridge and headed upstairs to get ready. Seeing as how I'd broken bones before, I was an expert at wrapping my cast up using a trash bag, and got into the shower. After showering, I got dressed in my Alice-approved outfit, and sat around wishing for time to go faster. At eleven-thirty, I grabbed the picnic basket, an old blanket, and got into Chuck.

I arrived at the Cullen house a little before noon. I climbed out of the truck and headed up to the door. Before I could knock, the door was flung open by Mrs. Cullen.

"Bella! It's so wonderful to see you. Come in, come in," she said, giving me a warm hug as entered the house. I hugged her back and took off my jacket as I followed her into the living room.

"So what are your plans today, dear?"

"I'm taking Edward to Port Angeles for a picnic and then the marine center."

She let out an Alice-like squeal and clapped her hands. "Oh, I'm so happy that you two are dating. You're so much better for him than that nasty Victoria girl was." A big smile took over my face upon hearing that.

"Thanks, Mrs. Cullen."

"Bella dear. You're over here often enough, you're one of Alice's best friends, and you're my boy's girlfriend. I think it's time you called me Esme."

I was stuck on the whole, me being Edward's girlfriend, that I almost didn't realize that she'd given me permission to call her by her first name. "If you're sure," I said, not wanting to disrespect my elder.

"Of course I am."

"Thanks, Esme." It sounded weird the first time I said it, but it made me feel at home. I was sitting on the couch, telling Esme about my first date with Edward, when he came into the room. He had on a green shirt that brought out his eyes, a worn leather jacket, along with some jeans that did wonderful things for his thighs. Man, he was hot!

"Oh, Edward Sweetie. Bella was just telling me about your date last week. It sounds like you two had a wonderful time! I'm sure today's date will be just as nice," she told me, getting up and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Then I heard her tell him in a low voice, how glad she was that he'd found such a nice girlfriend. There was that word again. It made me blush to think that his mom thought I was his girlfriend.

Edward gave his mom a quick hug and asked if I was ready to go. I got up and we made our way out to Chuck. I could tell that Edward was leery of riding in it to Port Angeles, but I wasn't worried. Chuck was reliable, and I was quick to assure Edward that we would be fine. My face was still sporting a healthy blush, which Edward noticed.

"What's brought on the blush, pretty girl?"

Could I tell him? "It's...uh...well..." Crap. I should just spit it out. "Your mom called me your girlfriend," I eventually blurted out.

"Is that a problem?"

"Um...no. But am I?"

"Are you what?"

I shot him a glare, causing him to laugh at me. "Would you like to be?"

I rolled my eyes. Such a dumb question. "Yes."

"Bella Swan. Would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

I snorted at his formality. "Why Edward Cullen, I would love to be your girlfriend."

"Excellent!" he exclaimed, a huge grin across his face. The rest of the drive was spent giving each other looks with the same stupid grins on our faces. We really were dorks. I pulled into the city pier parking lot, where we'd parked at yesterday, and got out the blanket and basket. I gave Edward the blanket to hold, and I took the basket and we headed toward the beach. Edward spread out the blanket near the spot we'd be at before, and I sat down and unloaded the hamper.

"Hope PB&J are okay."

"Heck yes! I love PB&J! Haven't had one of those in forever."

We dug into our lunch, watching some seagulls walking around, and then we gathered up our stuff to drop off at the truck. Hand and hand, we headed to the marine center. I figured since Edward seemed to like biology a lot, that he'd probably like this place. And then a thought occurred to me. What if he'd been here before? This would be a really lame date, if he had.

"Have you ever been here before?"

"Nope. Dad and I keep meaning to visit, but we never have. This'll be nice." And it was. We spent the better part of an hour learning about tidal pools, and marine life in general. Edward kept asking the volunteers and staff all kinds of questions, and seemed to be having a great time. When we were done, Edward thanked me profusely for taking him.

"That was awesome! I love learning about stuff like that," he told me, as we walked back to Chuck. I was thrilled that he'd had a good time and that our second date had gone off without a hitch. Once we reached Chuck, he leaned against the passenger side, wrapping me up in a warm embrace. I put my arms around his neck and let my fingers glide into his hair. He bent his head, and his lips brushed gently against mine. It was a gentle kiss, filled with electricity, and heat raced through my body. He was one hell of a kisser. He literally left me weak in the knees. After a few minutes of PDA, we parted, and he let go of me. I hadn't been kidding when I said my knees were weak, because the minute he let go of me, I started to fall. He caught me and gave me a cocky smirk. _Arrogant bastard_. He planted one last kiss on me, nipping at my bottom lip, then walked me to the driver's side of the truck. It had been a great day, and I was giddy beyond belief. I didn't want it to end. We drove to his house and since neither of us was ready for the day to end so he invited me inside. I was immediately assaulted by a bouncing Alice, when we walked in the door.

"Yay! You're back! How was your date? How were both of your dates? Did you have fun? Have you kissed? Have you..."

"Alice! Take a breath!" Esme called from the kitchen. Edward and I let out a laugh at the pout on her face, as we closed the door behind us.

"I'll tell you everything tomorrow," I promised, which seemed to appease her. Edward gave me a look and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"You do realize that you're going to be stuck with her all day tomorrow, and that she's going to want every minute detail."

He was right. She would want every little detail. I let out a small sigh at the thought. A warm hand rubbed circles on my back and a smile came over my face. I loved his touch. Alice let out a sigh as well, as she observed our behavior.

"So what are you guys gonna do now?" she asked us, as I took off my coat.

We looked at each other and shrugged. We hadn't decided what to do once we got here. Edward suggested watching a movie, to which I readily agreed. Alice kind of stood of the side, not wanting to intrude, and I didn't want her to be left out. I asked her if she wanted to join us and her face lit up. Down in the den, I curled up on one of the couches with Edward, while Alice curled up on the other. I snuggled into Edward, letting myself get lost in the feeling of him pressed against me. I really wanted to kiss him, but didn't want to make Alice uncomfortable, so I kept my lips to myself. Edward, however, spent the movie pressing small kisses against my neck and shoulder, making my body tingle. I was positive it didn't go unnoticed by Alice, but she didn't say anything. I had a feeling I'd be hearing all about it tomorrow. I must have dozed off at some point, because I was woken by small kisses being placed on my cheek and forehead. Sleepily, I opened my eyes, and saw Edward leaning over me.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. I hate to wake you, but it's a little after seven. I don't know what time you're dad is expecting you, but figured I should wake you up," he said, softly. I let out a yawn as I stretched my arms over my head. In doing so, my shirt rode up a bit and I saw Edward's eyes drawn toward my stomach. Quickly, I yanked my shirt back down, and I felt a blush cover my cheeks. Edward gave me a sexy smirk, then held out a hand to help me up.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived home. I let out a groan, when I saw Charlie sitting in his recliner, through the window. I'd been hoping that he was as Sue's so I could avoid what was sure to be, another awkward conversation. I decided to give my ninja skills a shot, and see if I could sneak my way in and upstairs. So didn't happen. Charlie looked up the minute I closed the door.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Hey, Dad."

"How was the date?" he asked, choking on the word date.

I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face. "It was great!"

"So the two of you went to Port Angeles?"

Realizing I wasn't going to be able to leave until I answered all his questions, I made myself comfortable on the couch. I told him how we had a picnic, went and saw some marine life, and then went back to the Cullen house. He looked up sharply from the TV when I mentioned that.

"Were his parents there?"

"Yes, Dad! God. We're not going to do anything if we're left alone in his house."

"Don't get snotty with me, Bella. I know how teenage boys think. Maybe I should have a talk with him."

God, no. Anything but that. "Dad! There's no need. He's a perfect gentlemen. I'm pretty sure his parents have had a similar talk with him."

That seemed to appease Charlie for the moment, and I was free to escape upstairs to the sanctuary of my bedroom. Despite my nap at the Cullen's, I was still tired. Perhaps it was all that fresh air I'd gotten. I laid down to read, and woke up to a huge clap of thunder, twelve hours later. There was nothing I loved more than a good thunderstorm. I was content to just lay in my bed and enjoy it. Then I remembered that I was going shopping with Alice, Rose, and Esme today. Esme. Still seemed weird to call her by her first name. I couldn't imagine Charlie allowing Edward to call him by his first name.

I had just finished dressing and was headed downstairs, when my phone rang. It was Alice calling to let me know they were on their way over. Charlie was in the kitchen drinking coffee, and I reminded him that I was going shopping in Seattle.

"I thought you didn't like to shop."

"I don't. But we didn't go last week, so we're making up for it this week. Besides, I have to get a dress for homecoming."

"Can't you wear the same dress you wore to that other dance?"

"Right, Dad. Like Alice would let me get away with that. She's a fashion demon. I've learned that it's just easier to give in. She's gonna get her way no matter what."

Fifteen minutes later, I was in the backseat of a Mercedes Benz. Apparently, the car belonged to Dr. Hot, but Esme was borrowing it for our shopping excursion. We hopped on the 101, and were soon on our way to Seattle. And of course, the interrogation began.

"So, Bella," Alice began, turning to look at me from the front seat. "I believe you owe me some answers."

"I did promise. What do you want to know?" I asked, which caused Rose to let out a groan beside me. I shot her a look and she responded, with as well, letting me know that I was in for it. Apparently, Alice was very tenacious.

"Everything! How was your first date with Edward? How was the second one? I need details!" she shouted, causing us all to laugh.

"Calm down and I'll tell you. He took me to Cafe Garden in Port Angeles and after dinner we went and sat on the beach, just talking."

Silence met me after I was done. "What?"

Alice gave me a look of disbelief. "That's it! That's all your gonna give me! I need more!"

What more could she possibly need? "Um...well...what more do you want to know?"

"Was it romantic?" Rose asked me.

"Of course. It helps that Edward is a complete gentleman. You really did well with him, Esme. He holds doors open, opens my car door, pulls out my chair. Very sweet."

Esme gave me a smile in the rear view mirror. "I'm glad to know that he's treating you right. I'd have to hurt him otherwise," she said with a laugh. "Did you enjoy Cafe Garden?"

"I did. I'd never been there before and Edward recommended the seafood pot pie and it was delicious."

"So you went for a walk after that?" Alice asked me a bit impatiently.

"Yep. We went to the city pier, then down to the beach."

"And?"

"And we talked."

Alice gave me a pout. "At least tell me if he kissed you!"

"Alice!"

"What? I want to know!" she whined.

I wasn't real comfortable talking about our kisses with Esme in the car, and I think she knew it.

"Just pretend I'm not here, Bella."

Ha! Easier said than done. I finally caved in and told Alice and Rose that Edward had kissed me last Sunday for the first time, which got me dual looks of shock and exclamations. Alice wanted a play by play of the kiss. Doing my best to forget that Esme was in the car, I told them all about my first kiss with Edward. Hell, my first kiss ever. They all let out sighs as I told them about it; even Esme.

"Where did you go for your second date?" Rose asked.

"I asked him after our first date, if he wanted to go to the marine life center. I made us a picnic that we ate on the beach, then went to the center. It was a great time and Edward was so excited," I said with a laugh.

"Are you two officially a couple?" Alice wanted to know.

I blushed as I told her that he had asked me to be his girlfriend yesterday. That set off a round of squeals in the car. The next few hours were spent with the girls each telling me how they hooked up with their men. Esme and Dr. Hot had such an interesting, yet romantic story.

"When I was nineteen, some girlfriends and I had gone out to a party. Well, after a few drinks we decided to go for a walk along these cliffs, similar to the ones in La Push. Not the best of ideas. I was having a hard time walking straight and managed to walk right off the cliff," she began.

I let out a gasp upon hearing that. "Exactly. I landed on some rocks below, resulting in many broken bones. It's a miracle I didn't die. My friends were still on top of the cliff and had started screaming as they saw me fall. Well, we didn't have cell phones back then, so one of them ran to the closest house to call 911. I don't remember much of what happened after I fell off the cliff. I'd hit my head pretty hard and was unconscious for quite some time. To make a long story short, I woke up in the hospital several days later and Carlisle's face was the first one I saw. I thought he was an angel. He was working as a paramedic at the time, to pay for college and he was one of the first responders at the scene. He had stopped by to see how I was doing. We talked for hours and I fell in love with him almost immediately. He came back to visit me almost everyday. Once I got out of the hospital, we were inseparable and we've been together ever since."

Wow. I had no words. I mean, that was one hell of a love story. "I'm so glad that something good and romantic came out of something so awful," I told her.

A little over three hours after we began our journey, we arrived at Pacific Place. It looked like a very swanky mall and I was a bit worried. I had the money that Charlie had given me from last week, as well as some savings, but I couldn't afford to go crazy. I mainly needed a fancy dress, some jeans, and shirts. After we parked, we headed toward the mall entrance and my phone let out a buzz.

_Hey gorgeous. U there yet?_

_Yep. Just pulled up. Ive changed my mind. Come save me plz!_

_Lol. Sorry babe. Ure on ure own_

_thats just mean_

"Bella! Are you even listening to me?" Alice asked, grabbing my arm and tugging me toward the mall entrance.

"No." No point in lying to her.

"Put the phone away. You can text Edward later. We've got shopping to do. Now I was telling Mom and Rose, that we should hit up J. Crew, Express, and True Religion Jeans first. To get you some regular, yet fashionable clothes. For our dresses, I figured we could go to Macys."

"Sure," I said, not really caring.

Three hours later, I was ready to cry. I really, really hated shopping. My feet were tired, my brain was tired, and we hadn't even gone dress shopping yet. Sure, I was now the proud owner of several pairs of form fitting jeans, and form fitting tops, four skirts, three pairs of new shoes, and some cute cardigans and sweaters for the winter months, but I was done. I didn't want to shop anymore. It was a little after one and I was starving, so Esme suggested we get something to eat. I figured we'd just head to the food court, but no. Why would we do that when there were real restaurants for us to choose from? We ended up at this place called the pnk Restaurant & Ultra Lounge. It seemed very upscale and hip. In other words, it wasn't my kind of place, but the food was good and the atmosphere nice.

With lunch done, we headed off to Macy's to look at dresses. Alice was a dress snatching, whirlwind demon, throwing dresses at me left and right. I headed into the dressing room carrying a stack of six different dresses, all in blue. I tried one after the other on, but didn't care for any of them. Some were way too short, others too long. Some were made for girls with cleavage, of which I was sadly lacking. I was sitting in the dressing room, texting Edward, when Alice came back with one more selection. It was a black and fuchsia colored dress, with black spaghetti straps, and a corset style lace-up in the back. I would never have picked this out to wear, but it was cute. There was no plunging neck line, and the skirt ended right above knee level. I tried it on and was amazed, not only at how good it looked, but how I felt in it. I didn't even want to check the price tag, but I did, and was happy to find that it was on sale. Once we all had our dresses, shoes, and jewelery picked out, I shamelessly begged them to let me hit up the Barnes & Noble. I walked out with six new books and was relieved to find that it was time to go home.

The car ride home was spent texting Edward and thinking about next weekend. It would be my first homecoming dance. Hell, it would be my first dance with a date. With my boyfriend. I, Bella Swan, had a boyfriend. And his name was Edward Cullen. I wanted to pinch myself, because it all seemed to good too be true. It was close to seven by the time we got back to Forks and I was dropped off. I struggled to get all my bags out of the car, thanked Esme for driving, and told the girls I'd see them tomorrow.

"Hey, Dad. Hey, Sue," I said as I walked into the house, bags in tow.

"Holy hell, Bells. Did you buy out the mall?"

"Feels like it. Alice kept handing me clothes. I shouldn't have to go shopping again for the next five years, provided I don't gain too much weight," I told him with a weary grin, I dropped the bags on the floor and plopped down on the couch, exhausted from my trip.

Sue wanted to know all the details of my second date, so Charlie excused himself, and we could hear him banging around the kitchen. Sue gave me a smile and a patted my arm. "It'll be fine. It's hard for him to see his little girl growing up."

I nodded and then proceeded, not only to tell her about date number two, but about Charlie's awkward and fumbled sex talk. Sue let out a giggle. "Poor Charlie. That must have been horrible for him."

Charlie heard us giggling and came in the room to investigate. He demanded to know what we were giggling about and Sue told him. Poor Charlie. His whole face turned bright red and he hurriedly left the room.

"Bella, if you ever have any questions, you can always come talk to me," she assured me.

I appreciated the gesture and told her so. We talked for a little longer, then I let out a yawn. It had been a long day. I told Sue goodnight, then I hunted down Charlie and told him I was heading for bed. He told me that he was spending the night at Sue's. A little while later, I was in my pj's, curled up in bed talking to Edward.

"Hey, sweet girl."

"Hi, Edward."

"Did you manage to survive the shopping trip?"

"Barely. Remind me to never go shopping with your sister ever again. I can't do it! It was one shop after another. Clothes were being thrown at me. I was forced to try on hundreds of pairs of jeans and skirts and dresses," I whined.

I heard him let out a chuckle from his end. "I'm so sorry. Did you have any fun at all?"

"I did, but don't tell Alice. I convinced her to let me go to the bookstore before we left. I could've stayed in there all day, but she wouldn't let me."

We talked for over an hour, until I couldn't contain the yawning anymore.

"Alright, sweet girl. I'm gonna let you go."

"Okay. Night, Edward."

"Night, Bella. Oh wait. Real quick. Could I pick you up for school tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'd love that."

"Great! I'll see you in the morning."

We hung up and I laid there thinking about the fact that I was going to be driven to school by my boyfriend, and that if anyone asked me about us, I could, indeed, tell them that we were a couple. I drifted off to sleep, giddy with the fact that I had a boyfriend. A gorgeous, sexy, extremely hot, boyfriend.

_I was wrapped in Edward's arms as we swayed to the music that was playing. So far, homecoming had been a great success. I got to hang out with my wonderful friends, drink crappy punch, and dance with the most amazing guy on the planet. What could possibly go wrong? The minute I thought it, I wished I could take it back. Tightening my grip on Edward, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Something wasn't right, only I couldn't figure out what it was. _

"_What's wrong, Bella?" Edward asked, leaning down to whisper in my ear._

"_Something isn't right," I told him._

_He spun us in a circle and I realized, with a startle, that the gym had changed. Gone were the decorations on the walls. The disco ball was no longer spinning and the wooden floor had turned to stone. What the hell was going on? _

"_Edward!" I whispered urgently in his ear. _

"_Be still!" he barked at me. _

_I noticed that the room had begun to darken, and I was hit with the pungent smell of mold and wet stone. "Edward!" I hissed at him. He pulled back from me and his hands grabbed my upper arms._

"_I told you to be still!" he snarled. _

_I struggled to get out of his grasp, but his hands gripped me tighter and I could feel the bruises beginning to form. Tears sprang into my eyes as terror came over me. Something was definitely wrong. I looked up at Edward and noticed that his eyes had a dead look to them, and his features were cold. I managed to get one arm free and reached up to slap him. Before I could hit him, a strong hand grabbed mine._

"_Don't," came the voice of Emmett, from behind me. Oh thank God! I turned to Emmett and was startled by his appearance. Like Edward, his eyes had a blank stare to them, and the huge grin that normally was etched on his face, was gone. The panic began to set in and I knew that I had to get out of there. I had no idea where I was or what was going on, but it was abundantly clear, that something was wrong. As I frantically searched for a way out, I saw a man start to cross the room, heading toward us. I watched in horror as I saw Carlisle come into view. His skin was pale white, almost see through, and his eyes were black as midnight. He came up to me and stroked a finger across my cheek. I couldn't contain the shudder that swept through my body._

"_She'll do," he told them. _

_I'll do? I'll do for what? What the fuck was happening? I struggled to get away, but didn't stand a chance against the two men holding me captive. They dragged me toward a stone table that I hadn't noticed, in the middle of the room. There were candles lit all around it, and symbols drawn in chalk on the floor. Good God! This was like an episode of Buffy. Except I wasn't a blond with kick-ass vampire killing skills. Or a crossbow. I was lain upon the cool stone, and my hands and feet were quickly shackled. I heard a noise coming from the foot of the table and looked toward it, as best as I could. I felt a scream erupt from my throat. I didn't know what I was looking at, but it instilled fear in me. Standing on two legs, with the face of a wolf and the body of a man, was a hideous creature. I could see what looked like blood dripping off the sharp nails, and his teeth gleamed in the candlelight as he opened his mouth and let out a loud howl. Slowly, it started toward me. I could feel its sharp claws tearing at my dress, its fangs nipping at my skin. That's when I knew. I was being sacrificed to the beast. I closed my eyes, and waited for death, praying that this was only a dream._

* * *

A/N: So, I've been an epic fail at keeping up with my blog. No big surprise there. I did create a Facebook page for this story...you can find it here: .com/pages/Tardis19/216252305061807 if you'd like. Or just type in Tardis19 under the search. Seeing as how Facebook is my life, I'm always on there. Anyway, you all know the drill. Leave me some love!


	22. She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy

Disclaimer: No Twilight ownership for me. I is a sad panda. :(

A/N: A big thanks to Chylex28 for her honesty in how suckish this chapter was originally. Thanks to her, it is, hopefully, less suckish now. As always, thank you to my readers and reviewers.

* * *

Plowin' these fields in the hot summer sun  
Over by the gate lordy here she comes  
With a basket full of chicken and a big cold jug of sweet tea  
I make a little room and she climbs on up  
Open up the throttle and stir a little dust  
Just look at her face she ain't a foolin' me

She thinks my tractor's sexy  
It really turns her on  
She's always starin' at me  
While I'm chuggin' along  
She likes the way it's pullin' while we're tillin' up the land  
She's even kind of crazy 'bout my farmer's tan  
She's the only one who really understands what gets me  
She thinks my tractor's sexy

~She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy~ Kenney Chesney

* * *

Surviving High School

I woke from the nightmare screaming in terror. My heart was racing a million miles a minute, and I was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Charlie came running in a few minutes after I woke up, wanting to make sure I was okay. I told him that I was fine, but in truth, I was shaken up. It had been a long time since I'd had a nightmare that frightening. I tossed and turned the rest of the night and finally gave up getting back to sleep. By four, I'd played all my Facebook games. I was half tempted to give Farmville a try, but thankfully, sanity prevailed. By the time school rolled around, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I couldn't even bring myself to be excited that Edward was picking me up, and he picked up that something was wrong immediately.

"You look tired, sweet girl. Didn't sleep well?"

I shook my head. I told him that I'd had a bad dream and that I couldn't get back to sleep. My day passed by in a sleep-deprived blur. If you asked me what I'd done today, I wouldn't be able to tell you. By the time the bell rang, I was more than ready to head home and take a nap. I'd love to say that I slept well for the rest of the week, but I didn't. Night after night, I was plagued with nightmares and a sense of foreboding. Whatever it was, by the time the dance rolled around on Friday night, I was a mess. Every little thing made me jump, and the hairs on the back of my neck started to tingle. I prayed that the dance would go off without a hitch, and that there wouldn't be any problems.

* * *

"Bella! You need to hurry up and get out of the shower! I need time to fix your hair and makeup," Alice hollered at me through the closed bathroom door.

Reluctantly, I climbed out of the shower and wrapped myself up in a fluffy towel. After cleaning a spot of fog off the mirror, I took a good long look myself. I looked like crap. I had suitcases under my eyes, and my face looked taut and tired. Ugh. I really hoped Alice could work some magic on me. I trudged into my room and found Alice had turned my dresser into a vanity counter. Makeup and hair styling products were everywhere.

"Sit!" she ordered, pointing to my desk chair. I sat down, towel still securely wrapped around me, and waited as she got everything she needed.

"Geez, Bella. You look like you haven't slept in a week. What's going on?" she asked, as she began applying makeup to my face.

"I've been having nightmares all week. I just...I have a bad feeling that something is going to go wrong. I can't explain it."

She nodded and continued what she was doing. "You should always pay attention to your dreams and your feelings. If you feel something is wrong, then something probably is. I've been feeling a bit off center myself. But let's not dwell on it. Tonight you're going to dance with my handsome brother and have a great time."

It was easier said than done, not to dwell on the bad feeling that was engulfing me. But I agreed with her, and watched her work her magic on me. By the time she was done with my makeup, you couldn't tell that I hadn't slept in a week. She pinned my hair up into some kind of fancy hairdo and then told me to go get dressed. I grabbed my dress and changed into it as quickly as I could. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and Damn, if I didn't look good.

"Oh, Bella! Edward's gonna die when he sees you!"

"I certainly hope not. I'd hate to kill my boyfriend before our first dance together."

Not too much later, Alice was dressed and ready to go. Jasper and Edward were picking us up here, and we were meeting Ben, Angela, Emmett, and Rose at the dance. I heard a knocking on the door, then heard Charlie open it. Hopefully, he'd behave himself.

"Boys," I heard Charlie say in a gruff voice. "Come on in and have a seat. The girls should be down in a bit. Now while we're waiting for them, let's have a little chat."

I let out a groan, but Alice shushed me. She wanted to hear what Charlie had to say.

"Now boys, I remember what it was like to be your age," he began. "You're young and in love, and your hormones are raging. Now, I'm not gonna give you a sex lecture, you've got parents for that. Just remember this. I've got plenty of guns at my disposal and I'm not afraid to use them. I'm the law in these parts and no one will question me. Do I make myself clear?"

I was mortified that Charlie had threatened them, but Alice thought it was hilarious. She was laying on my bed, giggling away. Not too much longer later, Alice decided it was time for us to head down to our boys. I gripped Alice's arm, and with her help, made my way down the stairs in the death traps that were attached to my feet. Against my better judgment, I'd allowed Alice to put me in heels. Slowly we made our way down the stairs, and once at the bottom, my breath was taken away. Edward looked gorgeous! Of course, he always looks gorgeous, but he was absolutely delicious tonight.

"Wow. Just wow, Bella! You look stunning," Edward said when I finally made it to the bottom of the steps. I felt the blush take over.

"Thank you. You look quite stunning yourself," I told him.

Dad gathered us all in the living room and took a bunch of pictures of us. He didn't seem like he really wanted to do it, and I commented on that.

"Sue, made me promise that I would. She was sorry that she couldn't be here to see you before the dance."

That was so sweet. It was amazing how in a matter of a few months, she had changed our lives. It would be nice to have a mom around who was actually a mom.

"Hey Chief! Will you take some pictures with my camera as well? Mom and Dad will want to see them," Alice pouted.

Charlie grunted at her, but took the camera. After a few more pictures, the four of us got into the mom-mobile and headed toward the gym. We pulled up to the school and parked. Edward tucked his hand in mine as we headed in, leaning down to press a kiss upon my head.

"You okay?"

"Hmmm. Yeah. I was telling Alice earlier that I've just got a bad feeling about something," I said, letting out a sigh. "But, I'm not going to think about it tonight. Tonight we're going to have a great time."

"We sure are. Tonight I get to dance with my beautiful girlfriend."

We walked into the gym, it was decked out in black and silver colors. I saw Ben and Angela at a table and we went over to them. After telling each other how great we looked, we all got some punch and sat around waiting for Emmett and Rose.

"Where are they?" Alice demanded to know.

I gave a shrug. I kind of didn't want to know. Twenty minutes later, they showed up, looking a bit ruffled, and Emmett had a huge grin on his face.

"Hey, hey beautiful people! Why you all just sitting here? Let's get our groove on."

"Looks like you already got your groove on," I told him.

He let out a booming laugh. "That I did. But now it's time for us to get a different kind of groove on," he said, dragging Rose onto the dance floor with him. We all followed them onto the floor. Soon, I was wrapped up in Edward's arms. They were playing a slow song, and I held on tight, enjoying the feel of being with him. And then the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Fuck. I slowly turned my head and saw Victoria standing off to the side, talking to some guy. Edward noticed that my attention had waned, and followed my gaze.

"Glad to see she's moved on."

"Yeah. Apparently his name is James and he's a psychology major at Pacific College."

"Huh," was his response. Then he proceeded to twirl me around, and planted a kiss on my lips. It was just a nice, sweet, gentle kiss, but it made me immensely happy. I loved Edward's kisses. After a few more dances and sweet kisses, we made our way back to the table and sat talking with Ben and Angela. I realized how much I missed talking with them. I'd gotten so wrapped up in Edward, that I hadn't made much time for them.

"What are you doing tomorrow, Angela?"

"Nothing at all. Mom and Dad are taking the twins camping, so I'm alone for the weekend."

"Do you want to hang out tomorrow then?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yes! It's been forever since we've hung out, just the two of us." And she was right. I'd been spending a lot of time with Alice and Rose, and now I felt extremely guilty. It must have showed on my face.

"Oh, Bella. It's fine. I know that you have other friends, and I'm not mad about it."

She truly was a selfless person, and I let her know how much I appreciated her. Ben and Edward were talking about the football game, that we had won earlier, while Angela and I spent some time catching up. We were in the middle of discussing my first date with Edward, when a shadow fell over our table. I looked up and noticed Victoria and that James guy standing next to us.

"Hello," she said.

"Uh...hi, Victoria," I replied, confusion clouding my voice. I had no idea why she had come over.

"I wanted to introduce you to my boyfriend. This is James Trakker. James, this is Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen," she said, pointing at each of us. I felt extremely uneasy, especially when she gave him our full names. There was something about him that really creeped me out.

"Isabella," he oozed, then gave a curt nod to Edward. His gaze lingered on me a bit too long for my liking, and Edward must have noticed as well. He reached over, pulled my chair closer to him, and put his arm around my shoulders. James gave him a little smirk and I felt chills rush over my skin.

"Nice to meet you," Edward said, while I nodded my head. Victoria spent the next five minutes talking to us, and seemed oblivious to the fact that James kept leering at me. I was extremely uncomfortable, and was getting ready to ask Edward if we could leave, when Rose and Emmett came over.

"Victoria," Rose sneered, upon seeing her.

"Rosalie," Victoria replied, with her own sneer. "This is my boyfriend, James. He's a junior at Pacific College," she bragged.

"And?" Rose asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"And nothing. I was just trying to be nice and introduce him to everyone."

Rose gave her a look dripping with disdain. "Whatever," was her reply, then she dismissed Victoria by turning her back.

"You guys want to dance some more, than head out?"

We all agreed and made our to the dance floor, mumbling a goodbye to Victoria and her creepy thin man. Edward was quick to pull me into his arms and hold on tight.

"Something about that guy rubs me the wrong way," he mumbled into my hair.

"I agree. He was really creepy," I said, delving my fingers into his hair. I tugged him down and gave him a slow kiss, not wanting to talk about Creeper James anymore. It was so easy to get lost in his kisses, and it wasn't until Emmett let out a wolf whistle, that we pulled apart.

"Hey, hey now love birds! There are innocent eyes present," he hollered at us, over the music.

"I know you aren't talking about yourself," I told him. Just then a fast dance came on, and Emmett yanked me out of Edward's arms and into his own.

"Hey!" Edward yelled indignantly.

"Calm down, Romeo. I just want to dance with your pretty lady for a bit. You can dance with mine," Emmett told him before whisking me away. Emmett was a crazy dancer, and I had to hold onto his beefy arms to maintain my balance. He was twirling me around the floor and I felt a bit nauseous.

"Ugh! Emmett, if you don't want me to puke, you'd better stop," I warned him, as he went to spin me around once more.

He gave me a pout, but agreed to stop twirling me around. A few more Emmett dances, and I excused myself to use the restroom. After washing my hands, I left the bathroom and saw Rose heading toward the bathroom my way.

"Wait for me, would ya? I want to tell you something," she said before entering. I agreed and leaned against the wall, waiting for her to come out. As I was standing there, I felt that tingle on the back of my neck again. I looked down the hallway. There, coming toward me, was Creeper James.

"We meet again, Isabella," he purred, in what I guess was supposed to be a seductive voice.

"Lucky us," I replied sarcastically, hoping he'd catch the hint that I didn't want to talk to him. Sadly, he didn't. He walked closer to me and dropped his voice.

"Such a beautiful name for a beautiful creature." Then I felt his fingers tug on the laces on the back of my dress. "I can't wait to unwrap you," he slurred.

O. M. F. G. I tore myself away, escaping into the bathroom, and the safety of Rose.

"Everything okay, Bella?" Rose asked as I entered.

"Huh? Yeah. Just wanted to make sure I looked okay. All that dancing can mess up your hair."

"You know, Bella, you can talk to me if you need to. But if you don't, that's okay, too."

"Thanks Rose, I appreciate that. So... what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're part of our group now. It may not seem like it, but I do appreciate you babysitting Emmett. And introducing him to Ben. Now I have more time for me."

I thanked her, and we exited the bathroom, making our way back to the dance floor, where I was quickly swept up in Edward's arms again. As much as I loved Emmett, it was Edward's arms that I wanted around me. All too soon, Rosalie and Emmett were crowned Homecoming King and Queen, and the dance came to an end. We headed out to the Volvo. We had just approached it, when Victoria stomped by, dragging James behind her.

"It was nice meeting you, Isabella. Until we meet again," James said in low voice, as they walked by us.

"Creep," I mumbled under my breath, loud enough for Edward to hear.

Edward's hand tightened in mine, and he didn't release it until they had passed us. He held my door open for me, while Jasper did the same for Alice. Once in the car, Alice leaned forward and announced that there was something off about James.

"I agree with my Ali. He gives off a bad vibe. Something about him, isn't right. If he approaches you, get away from him. And quickly," Jasper told me, leaning forward to look at me.

"Oh. Do you have a sixth sense as well?" I joked, having turned sideways in my seat to talk to him.

"Yup, I sure do," he drawled, completely serious.

I must have had a dubious look on my face, because Alice was quick to explain. "Well you know how I 'know' things?" I nodded. "Well Jasper gets feelings about people. He can tell a lot about a person in a matter of seconds. So, if he tells you that James is bad news, I'd trust him."

Well I couldn't argue with that. After all, hadn't I had a bad feeling about James from the minute I met him? And didn't I believe in Alice's sixth sense? I nodded in agreement, then turned to Edward.

"How 'bout you? Any sixth senses I need to know about?"

He tapped his chin while pretending to ponder the question. "I can read minds."

"You can, huh? So what am I thinking right now?"

"For some reason, I can't read your mind. I can hear everyone else clearly though."

"Uh huh."

"I can," he insisted. "Right now, Alice is thinking about how hot Jasper is."

"He is hot!" Alice giggled from behind me.

"And Jasper is thinking about how he wants to do all kinds of things to my sister that I really don't want to know about."

"Ain't that the truth," Jasper drawled.

I let out a giggle. "Puh-lease. You don't have to be a mind reader to know those things. All you have to do is look at them."

Edward pointed a finger at me. "Don't mess with the mind reader!"

"What are you going to do? Read my thoughts," I commented back at him.

"Just you wait, sweet girl. I'll get you."

"Oh, I certainly hope so," I told him, in a quiet voice.

He gave me a smirk and a wink that sent my heart racing. He reached over the console and took my hand in his, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.

"All in good time, sweetheart."

Cue swoon.

As we arrived at my house, Alice asked me what I was doing tomorrow. I told her that I was spending the day with Angela. That I felt that I'd been a bad friend, having not hung out with her for a while. Alice and Edward completely understood, and told me to go and have a good time.

"What are you doing Sunday?" Edward asked me, as he walked me up to the front door.

"Hanging out with you?" I asked.

"You bet," he said, flashing me a smile. "I had a great time tonight."

"I did too."

He pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear, telling me how beautiful I looked and how he couldn't wait till Sunday. His hand came up to cup my cheek and his lips pressed down on mine. My lips opened for him, allowing his tongue entry into my mouth. His tongue gently tangled with mine, and I let out a moan when he nipped at my bottom lip. Slowly he pulled away, our breathing harsh.

"I'll call you tomorrow."

"Sounds good," I replied, my voice breathy. I let out a sigh as I watched him walk back to his car. My, oh my. He had a nice ass. His gaze met mine as he opened his car door and he blew me a kiss. He really was too sweet.

I watched until he pulled out of the drive, then I headed inside. I found Charlie and Seth sitting on the couch watching ESPN. They both looked up as I shut the door and put my keys in the key bowl.

"Wow, sis. You clean up pretty nice."

"Gee, thanks bro."

Seth let out a chuckle, but Charlie had yet to say a word. I made my way over to the couch and pushed Seth over.

"Hey, Dad."

He barely spared me a look and told me hi. A frown formed on my face. Had I done something to piss Charlie off? I gave Seth a questioning look. He shrugged, and mouthed _no idea__,_ to me. I figured I'd go with the direct approach and ask Charlie what was wrong.

"Something wrong, Dad?"

"Nope," he said in a clipped tone.

"Are you sure?"

"I just said nothing was wrong," he snapped at me. I was taken back. Charlie rarely ever snapped at me, and I couldn't figure out what I'd done wrong. I got up from the couch and decided to go to my room.

"I had a great time tonight. Thanks for asking," I snarled at him, as I left the room. I made sure to stomp my feet as loud as I could, up the stairs, showing him how upset I was. Childish, I know. Once I reached my room, I went in and slammed my door as hard as I could. I'd had such a good time, and then Charlie managed to go and ruin my night in a matter of seconds. I flopped down on my bed and did my best to hold in the tears that were threatening to spill over. A few minutes later, I heard Charlie yell that he was taking Seth home, and that he'd be back in a bit. At the moment, I didn't particularly care if he came back at all.

As soon as I heard the cruiser start, I grabbed my phone and called Edward.

"Hey, sweetheart," his warm voice said.

I let out a sniffle and said, "Hey."

"What's wrong?"

"Charlie's being a jerk and I don't know why."

"What happened?"

"I came home and he and Seth were watching TV. Charlie was acting weird and when I asked him what was wrong, he snapped at me. He didn't even ask me about tonight!" I wailed.

"Oh, Bella. I'm sorry," he told me, his voice warming my heart. We talked for a while more and hung up only when I heard the cruiser pull into the drive. I changed into my pajamas, and made my way to the bathroom to scrub off my makeup. I heard Charlie come in the front door and hurried to finish up in the bathroom. I really didn't want to deal with him and his attitude.

"Bella! Can I talk to you for a second?" he hollered up the stairs. Crap. Toothbrush in hand, I slowly climbed down the stairs, and found Charlie pacing in the living room. He stopped when he saw me, and I saw the remorse in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Bells. I really am. I didn't been to be such a jerk earlier."

"It's okay," I mumbled, looking at the ground.

"No, it's not. Some major stuff is going on with work and I brought that home with me."

"Well, you're forgiven." It's not like I could stay mad at Charlie for long.

"Have a seat and tell me all about this dance."

So I did. I sat down on the couch and told him how much fun I'd had. Then I told him about how Victoria had shown up at the dance with this older guy.

"I didn't think college kids were allowed to attend high school dances," Charlie said with a frown.

"I don't think they are. She probably helped him sneak in. But, Dad. There was something about him that really creeped me out and not just me. Edward, Alice, and Jasper as well."

"What's this kid's name?"

"James Trakker. He's supposedly a junior at Pacific College, studying psychology."

"I'll look into it."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, kiddo. Alright, I'm gonna head to bed. Going fishing with Billy in the morning."

"Okay. I'm spending the day with Angela, but I should be home by dinner."

We said our good nights and went our separate ways. Once in my room, I curled up in my bed and shot a text off to Edward, letting him know that things with Charlie had been resolved. He texted me back, letting me know that he was glad things were okay and that he'd talk to me tomorrow.

* * *

At around eleven, the next morning, I headed over to Angela's house. I was excited to spend the day with her. I pulled into her drive and hopped out of Chuck.

"Bella! Come on in," Angela called from the doorway.

We spent the morning watching chic flicks and discussing our boyfriends.

"So how are things with Edward?"

I felt a goofy smile come over my face. "Things are...fantastic! He's amazing! He's so sweet and wonderful and his kisses. Oh boy, can he kiss," I gushed. "So, um...how about you and Ben?"

"Ben's such a romantic. You'd never know it by looking at him, but he is. He brings me flowers for no reason, and writes me love letters."

I stared at her like she'd spoken another language. "Ben? Our Ben? The guy who's obsessed with comic books and Star Wars, writes love letters? Are you sure they're meant for you and not Emmett? 'Cause it seems like those two have quite the bromance going on."

"Bella!" she giggled. "Be nice. Although, you are right about him and Emmett. They spend way too much time together. But Ben really is a romantic underneath it all, and he's an amazing kisser."

I let out a little shudder. Ben was like my brother, and thinking about him kissing anyone was disturbing, much less hearing about it. "Thanks, Ange. I'm not sure I want to know anymore than that. So did Ben's dad make a decision about whether to let Ben stay here, or is he moving to Port Angeles?"

"His dad is moving back into the house here. He doesn't want to make Ben switch schools. He figures, what with Ben's mom going to jail and all, that Ben's got enough upheaval in his life right now."

"I'm so glad that Ben gets to stay."

"Me too."

We killed the rest of the afternoon goofing off and watching more movies. Around four, Ben called, wanting to come over and visit with me. I agreed, and twenty minutes later Ben showed up, with Emmett in tow.

"Hey, hey pretty lady! How goes it?" Emmett boomed, picking me up in a hug and twirling me around.

"It was going great, then you showed up," I said after he'd set me back on the ground.

He clutched his chest and staggered before falling on the floor. "You've killed me!"

I rolled my eyes at his antics, then walked over and gave Ben a hug. "How goes it, Ben?"

"It goes. Spending lots of quality time with my girl since you decided that we weren't cool enough to hang out with," he joked. It still made me feel bad.

"I'm so sorry, Ben. I never meant to make you feel that I was choosing them over you guys."

Ben pulled me into another hug and said, "Bells. I was just picking on you. We know that you haven't ditched us. Besides, this way I get to spend lots of quality time with Emmett.

"Angela! I mean Angela," he cried out, after she poked him in his ribs.

"This bromance between you two is starting to heat up. Should I be worried?" Angela asked him.

"Nah, babe. You know I love you, and I'd never leave you for Emmett."

I wasn't so sure about that. Since neither Emmett nor Ben wanted to join our chic flick fest, Emmett asked Angela if she had a computer.

"Of course I do. I have a laptop upstairs."

"Can I borrow it?"

"Sure."

I got a bad feeling, and asked Emmett what he was up to. He gave me an innocent look and told me that I was paranoid. A couple of minutes later, Angela came back with her laptop and handed it over to Emmett.

"Sit next to me. There's something I want to show you on Facebook," Emmett told me, patting the seat next to him. Wearily, I made my way over and sat next to him. Ben sat down on the other side, sandwiching me between them. Immediately, I knew they were up to something.

"What's going on?"

"This, Bella, is an intervention," Ben began.

"An intervention? For what?"

"Just wait. Be patient," Emmett told me. Ben reached over and quickly typed in my Facebook username and password. How the hell he knew my password was beyond me, but I was damn sure going to be changing it. I watched in horror as Emmett went into my privacy settings and unblocked Farmville.

"Oh no! I'm not playing that game!" I told them, struggling to get up off the couch. Ben wrapped an arm around me, anchoring me down.

"Yes, you are. Did you really think that I would be okay with us just being neighbors, and you never playing? It doesn't work that way. Now sit back and watch."

I could do nothing, but watch as Emmett began planting crops and feeding animals. Why was he doing this to me?

"Here," he said, putting the laptop on my lap.

I refused to touch it. There was no way I was going to willingly play that game. They would have to force me, and I said so. I should have known better than to say anything. Before I knew it, Emmett had wrestled me onto his lap, put the laptop in front of us, and grabbed my hands.

"No, Emmett! Don't you dare!" I screeched at him. I looked over to Angela for help, but the traitor was busy giggling, leaning against Ben. As for Ben. He was a traitor as well. He helped orchestrate this atrocity, and it would be a while before I forgave him for this. I struggled to get away from Emmett, but that made him just hold on tighter.

"Now, Farmerlina, don't fight me. If you just relax, this will be a lot easier."

He grabbed my right hand, and used it to push the mouse and click on things. The bastard was making me farm! I tried to get away by elbowing him, but it was no use. Then I heard it. Emmett was singing _She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy_. I let out a growl, and then I heard a click from my right. I turned and saw Ben had his phone out, obviously having just taken a picture.

"Benjamin Ryan Cheney! You put that phone away right now, or so help me God, I'm going to hurt you!" I shouted at him.

He let out a laugh and took another picture, irritating me even further. There was going to be hell to pay, and I was out for blood. Emmett spent the next twenty minutes forcing me to play Farmville, laughing at me the whole time. When I was finally released from my prison, I grabbed the nearest pillow, and did my best to beat Emmett to death with it. Sadly, the pillow suffered far worse a fate than Emmett did. At a quarter to six, I told Angela, Ben, and Emmett goodbye and headed home.

"Hey, Bells! How was your day with Angela?" Charlie asked as I came in.

"It was fine, till Ben showed up with Emmett in tow."

"Streaker kid?"

"Yup. He held me hostage and forced me to play Farmville! I'm sure there's a law against that. You should arrest him."

"What in the devil is Farmville?"

"It's this game on Facebook, where you're a virtual farmer."

"Huh. Who would want to be a virtual farmer?"

"Thank you. My point exactly! But Emmett is obsessed with the stupid game and made me play it!"

"Should I arrest him now, or can I wait until after dinner?"

"Hmmph. I knew you wouldn't take this seriously. Because of that you should cook me dinner."

"How about some fish? Billy and I caught quite a few today."

I rolled my eyes. Of course he'd offer to cook fish. It was the only thing he knew how to cook.

"Sure. Sounds good."

We sat around the table eating our grilled fish and discussing our plans for tomorrow. I mentioned that I was probably going to hang out with Edward, and that's when Charlie surprised me.

"Why don't you and Edward have dinner with me tomorrow night? We'll go the diner."

I tried to find a way to refuse. Can you refuse your dad when he asks you to bring your boyfriend to dinner? "Sure, Dad. Sounds great."

He let out a snort. "It won't be that bad, Bells."

"Right. I'm sure it will go over well when you call him Edwina."

Charlie sputtered on the beer he'd just taken a sip of. "Edwina! That's a good one! I'll have to remember that."

Oh, fuck. I'd given him ideas. Once dinner was over and cleaned up, I headed upstairs to get in some quality non-Farmville, Facebook action. I loaded up my page and the first thing I did, was change my password. After that, I noticed that I'd been tagged in a picture. Oh hell no! I clicked on it, and sure enough, there were the pictures Ben had taken of me being held hostage by Emmett, for the world to see. Oh, they were so going to pay! Then I noticed that I had posted on Emmett's wall, not two minutes after I'd left Angela's house. Apparently I'd written, _There's nothing sexier than watching a man farm. Thank you so much Emmett__,__ for showing me the joys of farming. _That asshole! I also noted that my status had been changed, saying how much I loved farming. I quickly updated it. **Bella Swan **_is __definitely a Cityville type of girl._ Not more than thirty seconds later, my phone rang, and I saw it was Edward.

"Hey, Edward."

"Hey, sweetheart. Should I accept your Farmville neighbor request?"

"Please don't tell me that you farm?"

"Once in a while. When I'm really bored. So...sounds like you had an interesting day," he rushed on.

"Oh yeah. Nothing like being held hostage and forced to play Farmville to make your day interesting."

He let out a laugh that he quickly tried to cover as a cough.

"Are you laughing at me Edward Cullen?"

"Of course not! I would never do that. But you have to admit those pictures are funny."

"You jerk! I don't think we can date anymore."

"Aw, don't be like that baby."

"Really, Edward? Really? That sounds like something Emmett would say."

"Oh yeah. I totally stole that from him," he said on a laugh.

We talked for a few hours, and I let him know that Dad wanted to take us out to dinner tomorrow night. I heard a gulp from his end, and I agreed with his sentiment.

"Maybe I should bring my dad too?"

I let out a laugh. "There you go. They can go on a date with each other while we have ours."

* * *

Edward and I spent all day together, cuddled on the couch in his room, listening to music and making out. There was something about Edward's kisses that seemed to make time stand still. Currently, we were laying on his couch, his lips pressing small kisses up and down my neck, scraping at my skin with his teeth every once in a while. He was driving me crazy. I slammed my lips onto his, and a groan ripped from his throat. My fingers were tangled in his hair, holding him right where I wanted him, while his right hand was on my waist. His left hand was slowly making it's way up my torso. We were so lost in our kiss, that we failed to notice Alice standing in the doorway.

"Ahem."

We sprang apart, breathless, faces burning with the embarrassment of being caught.

"Just thought I'd let you know that it's almost six. Can't have you being late to meet the Chief for dinner."

"Thanks, Alice," I said in a small voice. I couldn't believe how hot and heavy we'd been getting with the door wide open. She flashed us a smile, dancing her way down the hall. Getting up, I went to his bathroom to try and fix my hair, and splash some water on my face. Couldn't have Charlie see me looking like a girl who'd just had a make out session with her boyfriend. After Edward freshened up, we climbed into the Volvo and headed toward the cafe. The closer we got, the more I wished that we'd invited Dr. Hot with us. Then again, that could get awkward, having both of our dads on a date with us. We pulled into the diner parking lot and found a spot near the cruiser. I spotted Charlie sitting as his usual booth in the back, and we made our way over to him.

"Hey, Dad," I greeted him as we sat down across from him.

"Hey, kids. Have a good day?"

"Yes, sir," Edward replied.

"Hmmm. So you know what you want to order?"

We looked over our menus and both decided on cheeseburgers and fries with Coke. A nice simple meal. What could go wrong?

"Tell me boy. What are your plans after high school?"

Of course, Charlie asked this right as Edward had taken a bite of his burger. He quickly chewed, and then replied, "I plan on going to college, sir. I'd like to be a doctor, like my dad."

Charlie nodded. "So you're friends with that streaker kid?"

He looked at me confused, and I mouthed _Emmett_ to him. "Oh, um...yes sir. He was one of the first people I met when I moved here."

"Hmmm. He's a bit of a troublemaker. I hope that you don't make the same foolish decisions he does."

"Uh...no sir. I do my best to stay out of trouble."

Charlie gave another nod. "Good. Any boy who dates my daughter better stay on the right side of the law. If you break it, I'll find out."

Edward nodded and answered any and all questions that Charlie threw his way. It was more like an interrogation than dinner, and I was dreadfully embarrassed.

"Dad! Stop interrogating Edward!" I hissed at him.

"Calm down, Bells. As the father of a teenage daughter, I'm allowed to question her... male companion."

I was getting ready to say something more, when I saw Victoria and her parents heading toward a booth near us. They stopped when they reached our table, and Mr. Laurent said hello to Charlie.

"Chief Swan. Nice to see you."

"You too, Dale. How are you?"

"Doing good."

They made small talk for a bit, leaving Victoria, Edward and I to stare at one another. I had no idea what to say, so I asked her how James was.

"Oh. Victoria has told you about James?" Mrs. Laurent asked me, having overheard my question.

"We met him at the dance on Friday," I replied. Victoria shot me a scathing look, and I couldn't figure out what I'd said that had pissed her off.

"I'm sorry dear. Did you say you met James at the dance?"

I nodded, as did Edward.

"Why would James be at the dance? He's her therapist."

Oops. My bad. How the fuck was I supposed to know.

"Um...," was my brilliant answer. Victoria began to do damage control and cover her ass, but I didn't think it was working. By that time, her father had joined in on the conversation, and was appalled to find that she had brought him as her date. They finally left, going to their booth, arguing the whole way.

"Is that James guy the same one you were talking about last night?" Charlie asked me.

"Yeah."

"Hmmph. I'll definitely be checking up on him."

The rest of dinner was without incident, for which I was grateful. After it was over, we thanked Charlie for dinner, and Edward and I said goodbye. He gave me a quick kiss, before opening the passenger door of the cruiser for me. I climbed in and waved goodbye as Charlie started us toward home.

"See, dinner wasn't so bad," Charlie said.

"Oh yeah. It was great. Especially the part where you grilled my boyfriend. That and I can't wait to deal with Victoria tomorrow."

He frowned at the mention of her name. "She'd better watch out for herself. I don't trust this James character. When I go in tomorrow, I'll do a background check on him."

After we arrived home, I went upstairs to read and finish my homework. I had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be interesting. For the past few weeks, Victoria had pretty much ignored me, and I was fine with that. Now that her parents knew she was dating her therapist, I had a feeling I was going back on her shit list. At least this time, I had Edward my side.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought!


	23. Somebody's Watching Me

Disclaimer: Well...I hate to break it to y'all, but I don't own Twilight. Total bummer.

A/N: Alright folks, here it is. Chapter 23. Holy cow. Hard to believe this little story is that long already. I'm anticipating this story to be about 30 chapters, so we've got a bit more to go. BTW, this chapter has a bit of smutty goodness in it. If that's not your thing, feel free to skip over it. It's also my first attempt at writing smuttiness, so I apologize if it completely sucks. Chylex28, adder of commas, fixer of run-ons, and cockroach killer. You're my hero.

* * *

I always feel like somebody's watching me  
And I have no privacy  
I always feel like somebody's watching me  
Tell me is it just a dream?

When I come home at night  
I bolt the door real tight  
People call me on the phone,  
I'm trying to avoid  
But can the people on TV see me  
or am I just paranoid

~Somebody's Watching Me~ Rockwell

* * *

Surviving High School

The rest of October passed by quickly. Sure, Victoria was back to being her usual bitchy self, but that was nothing new. She had been furious when Rose won the title of homecoming queen, and even more outraged when Rose pretty much took over as queen of the school. It was nice to be friends with the queen. Halloween came and went without much incident. Alice had thrown a Halloween party and invited half the school. It was a blast. Now we were into November, and Thanksgiving was soon approaching. I'd gotten my cast off the week before, and was so grateful to have the use of my other arm back. Sue, Charlie, and Esme had been hard at work, getting the attic refurbished for Seth. The Clearwaters hoped to move in before the end of the month. Hell, they practically lived here as it was. The wedding plans were coming along nicely as well. Sue wanted all the kids in the wedding, so now I was being forced to try on fancy dresses. Alice was only too thrilled to help out. Edward and I had only gotten closer over the past month. Most of our days were spent together, doing anything from groping and making out, to just lounging around, watching TV. Things were going so well, that I should have known that drama was about to rear it's ugly head.

I had just gotten home from Edward's, where I had spent many an hour groping his hot body, and losing myself in his delicious kisses. I scoured the fridge, trying to find something to cook for dinner. I gave up hope when the best I could come up with, was a peanut butter and cheese sandwich, with a side of mustard. _ Ugh! _ I called Charlie and told him that I was heading to the store and that I'd be back by the time he got home from work. I hopped into Chuck and drove to the grocery store. I was driving along the road, rocking out to Stereophonics, when I noticed a black sedan behind me. I only noticed it because in a town like Forks, it looked so out of place. I didn't think much of it, thinking it must be someone passing through town. I parked, climbed out of Chuck and felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise. I looked around and noticed the black sedan that I'd seen earlier, but couldn't see who was inside it. I shrugged off the feeling and headed into the store.

I had just grabbed some chicken breast, and was on my way to look at steaks, when I felt eyes staring at me. I turned around, but the only person I saw was Mrs. Cope, the school secretary. Huh. Maybe I was just being paranoid. After picking out some steaks, I went to get some veggies that I would need. I was looking at the onions, when my hairs stood up again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man walking toward me. I put the onions in a plastic bag and held on tight, ready to use it as a weapon if I needed to. Still keeping an eye out through my peripheral vision, I quickly moved toward the potatoes. I had just reached them, when a hand put itself on my shoulder.

"Hello, Isabella."

Oh God! It was Creeper James. I shrugged his hand off my shoulder and turned around.

"Hello, James," I said, then continued to scour the vegetables. I could feel him watching me, not saying anything, and it was really starting to bother me. Finally, I put my vegetables in my cart and turned to look at him.

"Was there something you wanted, James?" I asked, a bit rudely.

He flashed me a smile that sent chills running over my skin. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other night. I don't want you to think bad about me, Isabella," he said in a smooth voice.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever. I've gotta get going," I told him, and began pushing my cart toward the checkout lane. Thankfully, he didn't follow. After paying for my purchases, I quickly pushed the cart to Chuck, and loaded the groceries into the back. I looked around after climbing in, and saw James getting into the dark sedan that I had seen earlier. I was starting to feel very uneasy. I gunned the engine, ready to get home.

I pulled into the drive, keeping my eye out for Creeper James. Thankfully, it seemed he hadn't followed me home. Grabbing the groceries, I headed inside and found Charlie sitting in his recliner.

"Hey, Bells."

"Hey, Dad," I replied, as I went to the kitchen to put away the groceries. I debated telling him about Creeper James being at the store, before I finally realized that I should say something. After putting away the groceries, I headed back to the living room and curled up on the couch.

"Dad. Uh...I need to tell you something."

The look on his face was comical. I watched in fascination as he went from panicked to angry.

"I'm going to kill him!" he roared from his spot.

Huh? "Who are you going to kill?"

"You know damned well who. That boyfriend of yours," he spat out.

"Wait. What? Why are you going to kill Edward?"

"What do you mean why? He got my baby knocked up, that's why!"

I busted out laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation. "Dad! I'm not pregnant. Edward and I haven't done that."

"Oh. Thank God." His face was slowly returning from the angry red that it had been, to it's natural color. "Sorry. I may have overreacted there."

"You think?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"I apologized. So what is it you wanted to tell me?"

I sat down on the couch and told him how I'd seen Creeper James at the grocery store, and how uncomfortable he'd made me feel. "I realize that Forks is a small town and that I'm probably overreacting, but I wanted to let you know."

"Better safe than sorry, Bells. I've got a background check going on that Trakker guy. Doesn't he live in Port Angeles?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I think so."

"Hmm. If you see him around again, you let me know."

"I will."

* * *

Edward had called and invited me over for the day. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to spend quality time with my boyfriend. Currently, we were cuddling on the couch in the den watching some lame-ass vampire movie while his parents and Alice were in Seattle. I wasn't really into it, but he seemed to be enjoying it so I let him. Every so often I'd let my fingers run through his hair or place a chaste kiss upon his cheek or neck.

"You're bored, aren't you?"

"Hmm. A little, I guess. You know vampires aren't really my thing," I told him, twirling a lock of his bronze hair around my finger.

He paused the movie, then leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

"I'm sorry you're bored. Let me make it up to you," he mumbled against my lips.

"Please do."

He rolled me onto my back and stretched out above me. I loved the feel of his hard body against mine. Reaching up, I pulled his head down to mine and licked his bottom lip before nipping it. He let out a moan that went straight through my body, and then he kissed me like he owned me. His tongue delved between my lips, exploring my mouth, leaving no part untouched. Now it was my turn to moan. His hand, which had been resting against my hip, began to trace the edge of my shirt as if seeking permission. Pulling away from the kiss, I gave him a nod, then brought his lips back to mine. Tentatively, his hand snuck under the bottom of my shirt and began to trace small patterns on my stomach. My skin felt like it was on fire and goosebumps erupted at his touch. Gently, his hand glided up and covered my lace covered breast. Both of us let out a gasp as his hand cupped me, and then he gave a gentle squeeze. I tore my lips away from his, and threw my head back.

"Oh, yes," I hissed out as he did it again.

"Liked that do you?"

"Uh huh."

His lips trailed a path down my neck, gently sucking at the skin right below my ear as he squeezed my breast again. His thumb began to trace circles around my nipple and the feeling was exquisite. My hands made their way under the back of his shirt and I began to tug it up. I wanted it off of him. His hand left me so he could help me remove his shirt, and then finally it was gone. Oh God, he was delicious. His chest was firm and tight, with a light dusting of hair that got thicker the lower it went and I couldn't help but reach out and touch him. I ran my hands over his taut belly and then back up his chest.

"God, Bella. I love your hands on me," he said in a husky voice.

"Mmm. I love having my hands on you." I couldn't even find it in myself to be embarrassed by what I'd just said. Why should I? It was the truth. I loved having my hands on him.

He propped himself up on one arm, and resumed his attention to my left breast. It was then I noticed that his hand was shaking a bit. I was glad to know that I wasn't the only one who was a little nervous by all of this.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you...uh...ever done anything before?"

Gently, he cupped my cheek and I looked into his eyes. "I'm not going to lie to you and say no. I've done this stuff a few times."

His green eyes seemed to be on fire as they gazed into mine and I nodded. "Um...I haven't done anything before. At all. Ever," I told him, slightly embarrassed.

"Bella, sweet girl. We don't have to do anything you don't want to. I don't want to pressure you into doing something you're not ready for. If this is too much for you, we can go back to cuddling on the couch."

Gazing into his eyes, I saw how truthful and sincere he was. I leaned my cheek into his hand and told him that I was fine with what we were doing. Just a bit nervous. He gave me one of his adorable smiles, then leaned down and kissed me again. I swear, the minute his lips touched mine I began to melt. My arms encircled his neck and I parted my lips farther, my tongue meeting his and we began a sensual dance that became heated, almost desperate. Pleasure rushed through my system with each kiss that Edward gave me. The kiss built and became hotter, each nerve ending becoming more sensitive as I felt his hand travel back up toward my breast, pushing my shirt up as he went.

"Can I take this off?" he asked, tugging at my shirt.

I sat up and pulled my shirt off, leaving me sitting there in my plain white bra. I felt a blush take over and was ashamed that I hadn't worn something sexier. Not that I had anything sexier, but I wished I did. He tore his lips from mine and pulled back to look at me.

"You're gorgeous," he softly told me, staring at me and causing me to blush even more.

He then leaned down and began to move his lips down my neck, to my shoulder and then he hovered over my breast. My breath stuck and then I felt it. The gentle touch of his lips over my cloth covered nipple. The pleasure was a rush of sensuality and I was slowly becoming lost in it. His teeth raked against the tip of my nipple and then his tongue stroked it. I let out a cry of pleasure at the feelings that he was invoking. It was almost too much. I couldn't even begin to imagine how it would feel without my bra in the way. Slowly, he pulled away and brought his lips back to mine.

"Was that okay?" he murmured against them.

"Oh, yes," I groaned against his lips as my hands clutched at his chest. I couldn't stop touching him and he must have felt the same. His hand was slowly nudging my bra strap down, until it slipped off my shoulder. Shivers danced along my spine as his tongue rubbed sensuously against mine, while his fingers gently pulled my bra cup down. Once my breast was free from its confines, he broke our kiss and turned his gaze to my chest.

"My God, you're beautiful."

I blushed at his words and buried my face in the crook of his neck. I wasn't largely endowed, but I had enough there and Edward seemed more than happy with it. His fingers circled my nipple, gave it a light squeeze, and I let out a little squeak that turned into a long moan. Oh God, it felt good. He bent his head, lips hovering over me and his breath was driving me nuts. I thrust my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer to my chest when...

"Edward! Bella! We're home!" Esme called down to us.

Holy fuck! We sprang apart, frantically looking for our shirts. I pulled my bra back up and grabbed the shirt that Edward tossed at me. Not two seconds after we had thrown our shirts on, Alice came down the stairs, sporting a smirk.

"Oh. Did we interrupt something?" she asked with a knowing grin.

"No!" we shouted at her, obviously lying. Edward's hair was a mess and our lips were red and swollen.

"Really? Well, Mom says to come on up. Dinner will be ready soon. Oh, and Bella. Your shirts on backwards."

I buried my face in my hands as she left, completely mortified that she'd figured out what we were up to. After putting my shirt on right, I called Charlie to let him know that I was staying at the Cullen house for dinner and that he was on his own. I could hear him pouting all the way over here. I spoiled him too much. We were all gathered around the Cullen's table, eating some delicious lasagna, when Esme brought up Thanksgiving.

"Bella, dear. What are your plans for Thanksgiving?"

"I have no idea. Sue and Seth don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so I'm not sure if Dad wants to do the whole traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year or not."

"Well you're more than welcome to join us. Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and their parents will be coming over. I love to have a huge Thanksgiving dinner. The more the merrier."

"I'll talk to Charlie about it, but the man rarely turns down a good home-cooked meal."

Once dinner was over, I said goodbye, and Edward walked me out to the truck. I always hated saying goodbye to him, even though I knew I'd be seeing him bright and early the next morning when he picked me up from school. He opened my car door for me, and I climbed in. Leaning against the door frame, he bent down and planted a hot, passionate kiss on my lips. The kind of kiss that left me wanting more. Especially since we'd started exploring our desires for one another. I let out a small moan as he pulled away. His fingers reached up to cup my cheek as he leaned down to place a chaste kiss on my lips, before pulling away completely.

"Good night, my sweet girl. Text me when you get home, to let me know you got there safely."

"I will. Night, Edward."

"Night, Bella."

I leaned in for one more kiss, reluctantly pulled away, closed my door, and started Chuck. I would never admit it out loud, but I hated driving home in the dark from the Cullen house. They lived outside of town, down a driveway surrounded by trees. It always creeped me out a bit. I reached the end of their driveway and pulled onto the road, heading in the direction of my house. I was a bit startled to see headlights in my rear view mirror as I drove home, mainly because this road was pretty isolated and few people drove on it. I had just reached the city limits as it were, when the person behind me turned their brights on, blinding me. I did my best to ignore them, but I noticed they seemed to be getting closer and closer, until they were riding my ass. Fucking jerks! I slammed my breaks and heard the sound of squealing tires behind me, as I braced myself for the impact of their car slamming into Chuck. Thankfully, that didn't happen, but they let loose with their horn. Whatever. That's what they got for riding on my ass. I hoped they'd learned their lesson. I continued on my way, noticing that the car now kept a safe distance behind me. I pulled onto my street, and then into the drive, and noticed the car pass by. I couldn't tell because it was so dark out, but it looked to be a dark sedan like the one Creeper James drove. I sat in the truck, watching the street, making sure the car didn't come back. When it didn't, I rushed inside the house and made sure to lock the door behind me. Charlie was spending the night with Sue, which normally I didn't mind. Tonight, however, I was freaked out by the fact that I was alone in the house. I managed to run upstairs, without causing bodily harm to myself, and quickly changed into my pajamas. I crawled into bed with my phone tightly clutched in my hand. Remembering that Edward had asked me to text him, I hit the speed dial and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey, sweetheart. Make it home okay?" his warm voice asked.

I let out a sigh upon hearing it. His velvet voice always calmed me down. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just had to deal with some asshole driver who was riding my ass on the way back."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just a bit shook up. I hate it when people do that."

"Me too. Sadly, the world's full of asshole drivers."

I almost told him that I thought it was Creeper James's car, but decided against it. I hadn't told Edward about the incident at the dance or the grocery store. It wasn't that I didn't want to tell him. I was afraid of how he'd react to it, so I just didn't mention any of it. That probably made me a shitty girlfriend. We talked for a while longer and then hung up. I had a restless night, waking up constantly thinking that someone was watching the house. Good lord, I was paranoid. Before I knew it, I was going to be seeing the Creeper everywhere I went. This had to stop!

Around seven-fifteen the next morning, Edward pulled into the drive and I ran out to his mom-mobile.

"Hi, gorgeous," he greeted, as I slid into the car.

"Hi, yourself, handsome," I greeted back, as I leaned in for my morning kiss. He tasted like mint toothpaste, with a hint of Edward. Yum. He had turned sideways in his seat, and his hands reached up and cupped my face as he intensified the kiss. His teeth nipped at my bottom lip, before he let go.

"Now, it's a good morning," he said, giving me a wink and sliding his sunglasses down over his eyes. And now I was a puddle of Bella goo. I wanted to spend every morning of my life getting kisses from Edward. I shook my head at that thought. It was way too soon to be thinking like that. I mean, we'd only been dating for a little over a month and here I was, thinking forever. Stupid girl.

"Everything okay?" Edward asked, turning to look at me.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

"About me?"

"No. About my other boyfriend."

"Ha, ha. Seriously. What were you thinking?"

"How I want to spend every morning of my life getting kisses from you," I said in true Bella fashion, blurting it all out. Of course, I turned bright red afterward, and ducked my head down to avoid his gaze.

Edward pulled the car over on the side of the road and parked. His hand reached out, touching mine, and asked me to look at him. Slowly, I raised my eyes to his.

"Bella. I'd love to wake up every morning kissing you."

Oh, swoon. This boy was too good to be true. One of these days, I was going to wake up, realizing this was nothing but a dream. Edward leaned over and gave me another quick, but passionate kiss, and then we were on our way. We pulled into the school parking lot, and that's when I saw it. The same black sedan, that I was positive belonged to James, was parked in a spot way in the back. _Fuck!_ I thought about bringing it up to Edward, but was afraid he'd think I was being paranoid. Which I was. Besides, James was probably here to to drop Victoria off. Later on in the day, I sent Charlie a text. I let him know that I'd seen James's car at school, but that it was probably nothing. I hadn't heard back from Charlie yet by the time school was done, but that was okay. I had Edward at my side at all times, and I really enjoyed my time with him.

After having spent an afternoon with Edward, I headed home and found Charlie pacing the floor, looking upset. I was almost afraid that he could tell what Edward and I had been up to.

"What's wrong?" I asked, heading to the couch and sitting down.

He ran a hand over his face, and then tugged at his hair. After pacing for a few minutes, he sat down in his recliner, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"I got the results from Trakker's background check."

"I take it it's not good."

"Well, that's just it. He doesn't exist before five years ago."

"So...that means what, exactly? That he's in witness protection?"

"You've been watching _In Plain Sight_ too much. We're assuming that he's got fake IDs and has been moving around, changing his name. I've got some friends in the government, and they're going to do a deeper background check. Obviously, he's done something wrong if he has to go about changing his name. If you see him, get away, and let your friends know as well. I'm assuming Edward knows to be on the lookout for James?"

I squirmed a bit. "Um...no. I haven't told Edward."

The look Charlie gave me, made me feel like a five year old who should know better. "Bella. If you're serious about this boy, then you need to trust him, otherwise your relationship isn't going to last very long."

I nodded in agreement. I knew that I needed to tell Edward, but I was afraid of how he'd react. After getting lectured for a few more minutes by Charlie, I decided that I'd tell Edward when the time was right.

* * *

Charlie and I had agreed to have Thanksgiving dinner with the Cullens, and Sue and Seth were joining us. The renovations to the attic were done, and the Clearwaters had moved in earlier in the week. Charlie was ecstatic that Sue was living with us, and I was slowly adjusting to having a mom and a brother at home. Charlie had told the Cullens that we would bring dessert, which really meant that I would be baking dessert. I had baked a pecan and pumpkin pie, but wanted to do something more decadent. I recruited Seth to help me. Together, we made a chocolate mocha, gooey, butter cake. I couldn't wait to see Emmett's face when he saw it. Poor boy would want to eat it all by himself. I was so happy to have a family and friends to be spending the holiday with, and I'm sure Charlie was too. We had all piled into Sue's Land Rover and headed to the Cullen's house. Sue and Seth had never been there before, and were excited to meet the rest of the Cullens. They had met Edward a few times, and Seth seemed to hit it off with him really well. Edward thought of him as a little brother.

Thanksgiving dinner was chaos. Wonderful chaos. The Cullens had set up several tables in their formal dining room area, and had relegated all us kids to one table. Not that we minded. We all had a blast sitting around our table, talking about anything and everything. Seth quickly fit right in with our little group, although we did censor ourselves a bit, seeing as how much younger than us he was. Well, most of us censored ourselves. Emmett didn't know the meaning of the word. With stomaches full of turkey goodness, us kids headed downstairs to watch TV. Of course, there was a football game on. Neither Alice, Rose, or I wanted to watch it. So leaving our men and Seth, we headed up to Alice's room to have some girl time and watch movies.

I was sprawled out on Alice's bed with her and Rose, watching the first _Chronicles of Narnia_. Man, I loved me some James McAvoy. He was hot, even as a faun. I was all comfy, relaxed, and had my guard down. I should have known that Alice and Rose would pounce at that moment.

"So, Bella. You and my brother seem to be getting awfully close."

I decided to play dumb. "Of course we're close. We're dating."

She threw a pillow at me, hitting me in the head. "That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it."

"Alice. Edward's your brother. Why do you want to know this?"

"Because. C'mon, spill," she whined.

"Yeah, Bella. Now we can all talk about our guys. So...how are his kisses?" Rose asked.

I rolled over on my back and pulled the pillow Alice had thrown at me, over my face. I so didn't want to talk about this, especially with his sister. "They're great," I mumbled through the pillow.

"Oh, c'mon, Bella! We need more than that!" Alice whined again.

"Ugh. Fine! His kisses are fucking magical. The man is a genius when it comes to kissing. I could seriously spend the rest of my life kissing him."

Both Rose and Alice let out little squeals of delight at my admission. I didn't understand what the big deal was.

"I totally love it when Jasper gives me those deep, passionate kisses. Makes me tingle all over."

"Oh yeah. Emmett is a hell of a kisser. I love it when he gets all worked up, kissing me and grabbing my ass. I love Emmett's hands. They are magic."

Oh, dear Lord, please save me. I really didn't want to think about my pseudo-brother and his magic hands.

"I love Jasper's hands, especially when they're running all over me," Alice said on a sigh.

I was so glad that I had a pillow over my face, because I'm sure I was bright red. This was really too much. If this was what girl talk was all about, then I wanted no part of it.

"How are Edward's hands?" Rose asked, grabbing the pillow away from me.

I thought about lying and saying I had no idea, but I'm sure my red face gave me away. "They're good."

Rose arched a brow at my answer. "I want details, Bella. Don't make me beat them out of you."

Oh God. She totally would too. "Um...wow, this is really awkward. Uh...he's got great hands. I'm not sure what else you want me to say."

Rose let out an exasperated sigh. "At least tell me if he got to second base."

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Second base? Really, Rose. If you're wanting to know if he's felt me up, then yes. Yes he has, and yes I enjoyed it, and that's all I'm saying."

Alice gave me a glare. "You totally suck at girl talk."

I gave a shrug. As far as I was concerned, what Edward and I did in private was no one's business but our own. Forty minutes later, after being tortured relentlessly by listening to Alice and Rose tell stories about Jasper and Emmett, I was saved by Edward. Sort of. Apparently, Charlie had let the cat out of the bag regarding James. I still hadn't told Edward, and the look on his face was not a happy one.

"Bella, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure."

We walked to his room, and he closed the door after we entered. I'd love it if he'd throw me up against the door and kiss me senseless, but I had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. He crossed his arms over his chest and paced back and forth. I sat on the edge of his bed, watching him like he was a caged animal at the zoo.

"Do you trust me, Bella?"

"Of course I do."

"Really?" he asked, turning to look at me. "Because it sure doesn't feel like it."

I opened my mouth to say something, but quickly shut it when he shot me a look.

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you? Why did I have to hear about it from your dad?"

"I was scared."

"Of what?"

"Of how you'd react. I was afraid that you'd get angry and want to go after him. I'm sorry, Edward," I told him, hanging my head in shame. Charlie was right. I should have told Edward sooner.

I felt the bed dip as he sat next to me and pulled me into his side. He rested his head on top of mine and let out a sigh. "I wish you would have trusted me. It hurts me that you kept this from me."

I turned slightly on the bed and hugged him to me, holding him tightly. I felt tears forming in my eyes and did my best to quell them. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I do trust you. I do! I'm just...completely freaked out by Creeper James."

I heard him let out another sigh and then he tilted my chin up and my gaze met his. "Don't ever do that again to me. Understand?"

"Yes. I guess I should tell you about the encounter I had with Creeper James at the dance."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No. Just bothered me. He approached me while I was outside the bathroom waiting for Rose. He, uh, touched my back and made some comments. I brushed him off and went into the bathroom."

Edward let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Please don't keep anything from me again."

"I won't. I promise," I told him, reaching up to wrap my arms around him.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. He deepened the kiss, and I melted into it. He ran the tip of his tongue against my lips and I parted them, letting him inside. I felt a spark sizzle down my body, and it made me tremble. Made me want more. His hands pulled me closer, and his hands, his wonderful magical hands, cupped my ass, giving me a gentle squeeze. I let out a gasp and pulled away slightly.

"Sorry," he said in a ragged voice. "I didn't mean to get carried away."

"No. Don't apologize. I enjoyed it. A lot."

"Me too," he said, giving me a sexy grin.

Not too much later, Alice knocked on his door, wanting to know if things were okay. We assured her we were fine and then we headed back downstairs to watch the end of the game. I was bored within five minutes and wanted nothing more than to continue what we had started upstairs. Sadly, that wasn't going to happen. Around nine, we said goodbye to the Cullens and headed home.

* * *

By the time December rolled around, it was bitter cold outside, and snow was covering the ground. I hadn't spotted James lurking around lately, and was starting to feel a bit safer. Charlie and Edward thought that perhaps James was trying to lull me into a sense of security, and I'd let my guard down. They were probably right, but I didn't really care. Edward and I spent as much time together as we could, and we were growing closer and closer. I'd had to endure, yet another sex talk. This one given by Sue, who actually knew what she was talking about. It was far less embarrassing than the one given by Charlie. I wasn't ready to have sex yet, and Edward wasn't pressuring me. I still had to listen to Alice and Rose discuss their sex lives whenever I spent the night with them. I had a hard time looking Jasper and Emmett in the eye, after the first time the girls had told me about them and their sexcapades.

I'd gone to Port Angeles one day after school, to get this fishing rod for Charlie for Christmas. I was going to buy it at Newton's, but they'd sold out. So here I was, driving to Port Angeles on a cold, drizzling day. I pulled up outside the sports store and headed inside. I'd made my way to the fishing section and was looking at the poles, when I felt that chilling feeling. The one I got whenever James was near. I refused to look around, not wanting to let him know that I knew he was there. I grabbed the fishing pole that I wanted and walked down the aisle quickly, heading for the front of the store.

"Well, well. We meet again, Isabella."

I ignored him and kept walking. I made it to the cash register and noticed that he was still behind me. I handed the fishing pole to the cashier and paid, all the while, hyper aware that James was standing behind me. After gathering up my purchase, I headed toward the front of the store, and I pulled out my phone and called Charlie.

"Hey, Bells."

"Hey, Dad. Guess who I ran into at the sporting store?"

"It's that fucking Trakker guy, isn't it? He's there. In the store. With you."

"Yeah and I'm pretty freaked out about it."

"Are you inside the store?"

"Yeah. And so is he. He's watching me."

"Ask someone to walk you out to your car, and then drive to the police station. I'm on my way and I'll meet you there."

"Okay."

I told one of the male employees that I had a crazy ex-boyfriend stalking me and was afraid of him. He walked me out to my car and gave me directions to the local police station. I drove as quickly as I could without speeding too much, and found a parking spot across the street from the station. In my haste to get there, I'd failed to notice the car following me. I also failed to notice it park not too far from me. I got out of Chuck and was waiting to cross the street, when a hand grabbed my arm yanking me back. Oh fuck.

* * *

A/N: Alright folks. Lay it on me.


	24. Mean Disposition

Disclaimer: Twilight. What's that? Oh, yeah. That's that franchise that I don't own.

A/N: Hello lovelies. I see that you enjoyed the last chapter. I didn't actually plan on there being a cliffhanger, but that's the way it went. As always, thanks so much for the reviews. They mean so much to me. Chylex28, you're the princess of awesome, but you already knew that, didn't you? Sorry for the delay folks, but my Internet disappeared for a day and it was a holiday. Hope those in the US Had a great 4th! Alright, on with the story.

* * *

I'm getting wise to you

You're going to see

I'm going to work on you

The way you worked on me

I got a sharper aim

And you're in my sights

And if I'm going to go

I'm going in a blaze of lights

And in this crazy world of hit and run

There are no laws here

Just a loaded gun

She's got a mean disposition

She's got a big shooter too

She's got a mean disposition

Really make a mess

Really make a mess out of you

~Mean Disposition~ The Rolling Stones

* * *

Surviving High School

_I got out of Chuck and was waiting to cross the street, when a hand grabbed my arm yanking me back. Oh fuck!_

The hand on my arm yanked me back, causing me to stumble over the curb and almost fall. I turned around and found myself face to face with The Creep.

"Let me go, James!" I hissed at him.

His grip tightened on my arm as he leaned down. "No. Don't you know it's rude to walk away when someone is talking to you?"

What the fuck was he on about? "Listen, James. I don't have time to talk right now, I need to get going."

Apparently, he didn't like what I had to say, and tightened his grip. I struggled to get away from him, which only caused him to grab my other arm. Now that he held back both my arms, panic began to set in. In my moment of panic, I couldn't even begin to recall any kind of self-defense, but I knew that if I could be loud enough and cause a ruckus, then perhaps someone would come to my rescue. The police station was across the street, for crying out loud. With James having a grip on both my arms, I was unable to hit him, but I still had my legs free. I attempted to kick him, which only served to piss him off even more.

"Let me fucking go!" I screamed at him, hoping that I was loud enough to draw some attention. My eyes darted around the street, looking for someone, anyone, but no one was around. I didn't see Charlie's cruiser, and could only hope that he was on his way and would arrive soon.

"Kicking isn't very nice, Isabella. Now, you and I are going to go have a nice chat, and you _will_ behave. Understand?"

Hell, fucking no. I wasn't going anywhere with him. "Fuck you!" I spat out, before letting out a scream worthy of the dumb girls in the horror movies. Before I could even register what happened, he'd hit me across the face, then covered my mouth with his hand. While my mouth was covered, he leaned down and licked the side of my neck.

"Hmmm...you taste delicious."

I shuddered from sheer disgust. There was no way for me to get to the pepper spray in my purse, but that didn't mean I couldn't attack. I sank my teeth into his hand as best as I could, then brought my free hand up and smashed him in the nose. James let out a howl of pain, loosening his grip on my arm, and allowing me to free myself from his grasp. I dashed across the street, not even stopping to see if there were any cars coming my way. I pushed my way inside the police station, frantically looking for someone to help me.

"Miss. Are you okay?" a voice asked me.

I whirled around and saw a police officer coming toward me. He reached out and helped me into a nearby chair. I hadn't realized how shaken up I was, until I went to respond and busted into tears instead. Sobs wracked my body as the officer handed me some tissues.

"Sor . . ., sorry. I didn't realize how scared I was," I blubbered out.

The officer knelt down in front of me, meeting my gaze. "Can you tell me what happened?"

I gave a shaky nod, while wiping my face with the tissues, mopping up the tears that had spilled. I proceeded to tell the officer all about Creeper James. How he had approached me at the dance, how I'd seen his car around Forks, about the encounter that had just happened moments before.

"My dad should be here soon. He's the Chief of Police in Forks. I called him when I noticed James at the store and he told me to come here. I had just gotten out of my truck, when James grabbed me," I told him, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill over again.

He patted my arm and told me to stay put, while he went to get the paperwork to file a report. He asked me if I wanted to press charges, and I told him yes. Damn straight I was. No way was Creeper James getting away with assaulting me. The police officer took some pictures and had someone take a swab from my neck for DNA. I had just finished writing down what had happened, when I saw Charlie enter the station. He spotted me and ran over, pulling me into a tight hug. I clung to him, and once again, broke into tears. Charlie held me to him, brushing my hair, and pressed a kiss to my head.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a gruff voice, pulling away to take a look at me. I knew the minute he spotted the mark on my face, because his face became thunderous. "That fucking bastard! I'm going to kill him."

I grabbed Charlie's sleeve, preventing him from going anywhere. "Dad! No! I'm already filing a report and pressing charges. I want to get a restraining order against him too."

He nodded, rubbing a hand over his face. He suddenly looked tired and haggard. Not a look I was accustomed to seeing on him. We spent the next hour at the police station, filling out paper work, having pictures taken of my face, then finally, it was time to head home. Charlie had given Officer Rory all the information that he had gathered on Creeper James, and asked to be kept in the loop. I held onto Charlie as we walked out of the station, scanning the area for James. I saw Charlie doing the same. When it was deemed safe enough to continue, Charlie walked me over to Chuck. Charlie checked Chuck out, making sure nothing was wrong with him, then I climbed in.

"I'm going to follow you home," he told me, as he shut my door. I nodded and started Chuck up. I locked the doors and waited for Charlie to get in the cruiser. Once I saw that he was ready, I headed for home.

I was never so glad to be home. The whole thing had shaken me up more than I'd realized. All I wanted to do, was curl up on my bed, and never leave the comforts of it. I hopped into the shower, then put on my comfy pajamas. I was curled up in my bed, when Charlie came in, with Sue and Seth on his heels. I was instantly swept up into huge hugs by both of them. Charlie was holding a huge mug of tea, and passed it over to me once Sue and Seth let go. Sitting down on the bed, we all discussed what happened, and the precautions that I should take. By the time we were done, I was exhausted. I knew that I should call Edward, but I was too tired. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

"Is she going to be okay?" I heard a soft, velvet voice ask in a whisper.

"I don't know. She was really shook up when Charlie brought her home. I really hope they get that fucking asshole. I do know that she's pressing charges against him for assault, and that with Charlie's help, she filed a temporary restraining order. Charlie said she'll have to go to the Port Angeles court house and see a judge in order to get the restraining order granted, but it shouldn't be a problem," I heard Seth say in a hushed voice.

I rolled over in my bed and slowly opened my eyes. There, sitting on my desk chair, was my beautiful, wonderful boyfriend. He noticed my movement and turned to face me, his eyes full of worry. He got up and perched himself beside me on the bed, as Seth left the room. Reaching out, he brushed my hair away from my face. Then he leaned down and wrapped me up in a gentle hug. I clung to him and held on, burying my face is his neck. I could feel the tears welling up again, as I clung to him and I did my best to hold them back.

"Oh my sweet girl. I am so sorry," he murmured into my ear, rocking us gently back and forth. Slowly, he pulled back and reached up to cup my face. His hand gently stroked over the bruise that had begun to form. Staring deep into my eyes, he leaned down, and gave me a gentle kiss.

"How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted. Physically and emotionally. I knew that he was creepy, but I never thought he'd grab me and hit me," I told him quietly.

Edward's green eyes were filled with worry and sadness, with a hint of anger. I knew that he was more upset about the James situation than he let on. I reached up and ran a finger over his furrowed brow. I leaned into him and kissed him lightly. Although, all I really wanted to do was sink into a kiss and forget about everything that had happened today. Thankfully, it seemed that Edward was on the same page as me.

His lips crashed down onto mine, as if trying to devour me, and I replied in kind. I opened my lips to let him in, and thrust my tongue over his, wanting entry just as he did. I loved his kisses. They unraveled me, left me breathless, and wanting more. My breasts were pressed up against his chest, his body pressed against mine, so warm and solid. In that moment, I wanted no barriers between us, but sanity prevailed. My family was downstairs, and aware that I was awake and alone with Edward. I hoped Charlie wouldn't kill him. Reluctantly, our lips parted, our breathing heavy.

"I. . .uh should probably head downstairs. I don't want your dad coming up here with one of his guns," he chuckled at me.

"Hmmm. . .yeah. That would be bad. Why don't you go on down and I'll be down in a minute."

"Okay," he said, giving me a quick peck on the lips. I let out a small sigh as I watched him walk out my door. Slowly, I got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. Once done, I ran a brush through my hair, grimacing as I noticed the bruise that was forming on my cheek. Crap. I didn't want to have to explain that bruise at school. Perhaps Alice could help me cover it up with makeup. Setting the brush down, I noticed a bruise on my upper arm, and pulled my sleeve up. There, on my arm, was a bruise in the shape of finger marks. I had no doubt that there was a similar bruise on my other arm. Taking a deep breath, I left the bathroom, and headed downstairs. Cautiously, I made my way down the stairs and found the family sitting in the living room, watching TV. I made my way over to Edward, who was sitting on the couch next to Seth. He gave me a gentle smile and wrapped an arm around me, tucking me into his side. Sue was in the kitchen and came out to ask me if I was hungry at all. I told her I was, and a few minutes later, she came back with a bowl of chili. Yum. I noticed Charlie watching me from his recliner.

"How you holding up, Bells?"

"Eh. I'll be okay, I think."

He gave me a nod and told me that if I wanted to stay home from school the next day, I could. It was tempting. I was worried that people would think that Edward had beat me up, but then I dismissed the absurdity of the whole thing. Despite the fact that I'd apparently napped for about three hours, I was still exhausted from the day's events. After finishing my chili, I let out a yawn and curled up next to Edward on the couch. All too soon, I was being shook awake.

"Hey, sweet girl. I'm going to head home, but I'll pick you up for school tomorrow, okay?"

I gave him a tired nod, and walked him to the door. A few chaste kisses later, I made my way upstairs and into bed. I was almost dreading tomorrow, and all the questions I was going to be asked. But I wasn't going to lie. I was going to tell the truth, and if Victoria had a problem with it, tough shit.

The next morning was gray and cold. I woke up sore, with a massive headache. Perhaps I should stay home. Begrudgingly, I got out of bed, and into the shower. Thirty minutes later, I was ready and waiting for Edward to pick me up. I heard a knock on the door and opened it. My, oh my. He was a beautiful sight to see early in the morning. One that I would never tire of. Reaching out for my hand, we walked down the steps to his mom-mobile and of course, I almost killed myself in the process. Somehow, I had failed to notice the snow and ice coming down, and started to slip on the steps. Edward grabbed me, and somehow managed to keep us both upright.

"Bella! You've got to be more careful," he admonished me softly, before pulling me up and into a hug. I clung to him like glue as he walked me to his car. Once we arrived at school, I checked my face in the visor mirror. Man, the bruise seemed to look worse than it had earlier. I'd sent Alice a quick text on the way to school, asking her if she could help me conceal it, and she'd agreed. She, along with the rest of our gang, where waiting for us when we got out of the car. Immediately, Alice pulled out a compact, and began applying makeup to my face. I hated being covered in makeup, but knew it had to be done. Finally, she pronounced me less-bruised than I had been, and we headed into school. Despite the fact, that yesterday's events had taken place in Port Angeles, word had somehow spread to Forks. And like usual, when it came to rumors, things were embellished, or completely off the mark.

I was at my locker, with Angela and Ben, when I first heard the whispers. By the time English class had rolled around, I'd heard enough. There were whispers that I'd been beaten up by a john or by my pimp, and those made me laugh. Seriously, people? Who would pay to sleep with me? Then I heard the rumors that just pissed me off. I'm pretty sure it was one of the members of the Bitch Brigade that started it, saying that Edward and I had gotten into a fight and he'd hit me. I was more than ready to go put those two bitches in their place, but Angela held me back. I was on my way to lunch, walking from the gym by myself, when I saw Victoria holding court. This struck me as odd, since Rose was now queen of Forks High. Meandering over, close enough to hear, I heard Victoria telling this group of people how violent Edward was.

". . .and that's why I stayed with him so long. I was afraid to leave. I knew if I left him, he'd kill me! I tried to warn Isabella about him and how violent he could be, but she wouldn't listen to me and now look at her. Trying to hide bruises."

Oh, hell no! That bitch did not just say that! I was furious. No, I was beyond furious. I was fucking livid. Who the fuck did this bitch think she was? Spreading those kinds of rumors could seriously hurt Edward, and I was putting a stop to it. I stomped over to where Victoria stood and decided to end her viscous lies.

"Isabella!" she shrieked upon seeing me. She grabbed me into a hug and held me tightly. "I've been so worried about you. Just know that if you need to talk, you can come to me. You don't have to hide or be afraid of Edward anymore."

I gave her a glare and shoved her away. "Cut the bullshit, Victoria. You and I both know that Edward wouldn't hurt a fly. He never hit you, and he sure as hell has never hit me! If anyone's boyfriend is doing the hitting, it's yours."

She crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to look intimidating. "What the fuck are you on about, Swan?"

"James."

The look on her face was positively livid. "Bullshit. Is this your pathetic attempt to get back at me?" she hissed at me, forgetting our little audience, which was slowly growing bigger.

"He's fucked up, Victoria. If you're not careful, he'll go after you next," I warned her.

She didn't care for my warning. "You fucking slut! First, you take Edward from me and now you're trying to get James. Does Eddie know you're lusting after James?"

I let out a shudder at her train of thought. "I am not after James. He approached me at homecoming, he approached me at the grocery store, he approached me when I was in Port Angeles yesterday. And when I didn't want to talk to him, this is what he did!" I shouted, pointing at the bruise on my face, then shoving my arms out of my coat to show her the bruises on my arms. "_This_ is what your boyfriend did to me! And I'll have you know that I'm pressing charges against him and filing a restraining order. If you know what's good for you, you'll get rid of him before he hurts you."

"You're a fucking liar!" she roared at me, before she attacked. I should have anticipated her attacking me, but I didn't. I felt her hands reach up and grab my hair, yanking hard. Oh, hell no! I was not getting into a cat fight with Victoria over Creeper James. Before I could retaliate, a manicured hand yanked on Victoria's arm and spun her around. That's right, ladies and gents. Queen Rosalie Hale to the rescue. I noticed her hand was clenched in a fist and I expected her to punch Bitchtoria at any second.

"What is going on here?" an authoritative voice yelled, making it's way through the crowd. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, and walking toward us, was Mr. Laurent. Well, this should be interesting. In true, Drama Queen fashion, Victoria decided to try and play the injured party.

"She attacked me, Dad!" she shrieked, while pointing at me. Now really. If you're going to accuse someone of attacking you, make sure there aren't at least ten witnesses to prove you wrong. The minute Victoria screeched that out, people in the crowd started yelling that she was a liar. So now, I was stuck spending my lunch hour walking toward the principal's office with Victoria and Rose. Certainly, not how I wanted to spend it. While we were walking, I pulled my phone out of bag and sent Charlie a text, letting him know that I'd gotten into it with Victoria.

When we reached the main office, he opened the door for us, and made us sit down while he went to see if Mr. Cole, the principal, was ready to see us. We were escorted into Mr. Cole's office. He was seated behind his desk, his hands folded in front of him, giving us a stern look.

"Ladies. Would you care to explain what just happened?"

I opened my mouth to tell him, but Bitchtoria beat me to it. "I was talking to some people and _she_ walked up to me and started causing trouble."

"Bull!" I interrupted. "You were holding court, telling people that Edward was abusive!" I almost felt bad about my outburst, but it needed to be said. Rose agreed and backed up my story.

Mr. Laurent and Mr. Cole both went red in the face and looked furious. "Is that true?" Mr. Cole asked her.

Victoria didn't respond. She crossed her arms over her chest and refused to look at him. After a few more minutes of silence, Mr. Cole asked Mr. Laurent to go get Edward. While Mr. Laurent was gone, the principal turned to Victoria.

"Miss Laurent, this is a very serious accusation. If Mr. Cullen hurt you in the past, you need to let me know."

Once again, she refused to say anything, and continued to stare at the wall. The principal let out a sigh and asked Rose what she had seen. Rose told him that she'd heard Victoria attacking Edward's character, and that when I defended him, she became irate and attacked me. At that point, Rose said she felt like she had to intervene. Mr. Cole turned to me and I pretty much repeated what Rose had said. I told him that Edward hadn't hurt me and I was positive that he'd never physically hurt Victoria. A few minutes later, Mr. Laurent came back in with Edward and asked us to leave while they talked to him. The next five minutes were agony. I wanted to know what was going on and what was being said. I had taken to pacing the floor of the office, when Esme walked in.

"Bella! Oh dear, how are you?" she asked, pulling me into a gentle hug. I hugged her back and told her that I was okay. She gave Rose a hug as well, and then told Mrs. Cope to let the principal know that she was here. The door to Mr. Cole's office opened, and Esme and Victoria were ushered in. Rose and I sat in silence, contemplating what was going on in there. Then we heard raised voices coming from the office.

"Why would you say such a thing? You could seriously damage Edward's reputation by starting those kind of rumors," Mr. Laurent asked Victoria. "Well? I'm waiting for an answer."

"I don't know. I just said it."

"You just said it. Did you stop to think about what you were saying? No! Obviously not," I heard Esme say. After that, we didn't hear anything else. Rose and I were playing tic-tac-toe on a piece of paper, when I saw Charlie walk in.

"Hey, Dad."

"Bells! Did she hurt you?"

"Not really. She pulled my hair, but Rose stopped her before it got any further."

"Why did she attack you?"

"She was spouting off at the mouth saying that Edward was abusive, so I brought up the fact that her boyfriend was the one that did this to me. She wasn't too happy about that. Anyway, Mr. Laurent broke up the fight and he's talking to her right now."

"I was going to talk to him anyway. He needs to know just how dangerous this Trakker guy is and that he should keep his daughter away from him."

Minutes later, the door to Mr. Cole's office opened, and he motioned us in. Charlie stood behind me, while I sat down in the chair that I had previously vacated.

"Bella. Victoria has something she'd like to tell you." Oh, I bet she did.

She turned and gave me a glare. "I'm sorry," she muttered through clenched teeth. Well, that was sincere.

"Now, Bella. Victoria tells me that you accused James of attacking you."

"He did. He's been stalking me for some time, and yesterday he showed up at the Fish and Tackle store in Port Angeles. I called my dad who told me to head to the police station, so I did. Once there, I got out of my car and James came up behind me and grabbed me. When I tried to fight him off, he smacked me in the face. I managed to get away and run inside the station."

Mr. Laurent looked stunned. He turned to Charlie, who told him that he'd been investigating James for a while now. "Here's the thing, Dale. Trakker doesn't exit before five years ago. I've got feelers out in a lot of the stations in Washington to see if we can't find out who he really is. I've also got a buddy in the F.B.I. who's doing an extensive background search. This guy is dangerous. He's been following Bella since the night of the homecoming dance, and now he's attacked her. I talked to Mr. Cole about this earlier, but if you see him on school grounds, I want you to call me. So far, we haven't been able to find him since he attacked Bella."

Charlie then turned his gaze to Victoria. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"

She refused to look at Charlie and kept her mouth shut, set in a thin line. Charlie wasn't having any of it. He had his cop face on and was in cop mode. "Listen to me closely, Victoria. If you know where Trakker is and you don't tell me, I will arrest you for obstruction of justice. Is that clear?"

"I don't know where he is! I tried calling him on his cell last night, but he didn't answer," she spat out.

Her dad looked furious. "We told you to stop seeing him!" Then he turned to Charlie. "When we found out that he was dating her, we fired him as her therapist. We also told her she wasn't allowed to see him anymore. He's too old for her."

"God, Dad! He's only twenty-two. So what if he's five years older than me!"

"Victoria, we will be having a talk about this when we get home. If he so much as emails you or sends you a text, you are to let Chief Swan know immediately."

She reluctantly agreed. Mr. Cole told Victoria and me, that we were excused for the rest of the day. That was more than fine with me. I walked out to Chuck with Edward, while Charlie stayed behind to talk to Mr. Laurent a bit more.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked me, as we left the building.

I looked up at him, and couldn't resist placing a kiss on his jaw. "I will be. Today has been trying. Are you okay?

"I'm pissed. The fact that Victoria would spew that kind of crap about me, has me really upset."

"I'm so sorry. When I heard the vile she was spewing, I corrected her."

"Thanks for defending my honor. You're my hero," he grinned.

"Anytime, babe."

He raised and eyebrow at me. "Babe, huh?"

I raised one right back at him. "Is that a problem?"

"Nope. I like it," he said, giving me a wink.

* * *

The weeks had passed by without much incident. James was still MIA, but Charlie had heard back from a few stations in various cities in Washington. The information was frightening. James was wanted in Ellensburg for assault, after he attacked a barmaid five years ago when she refused to leave with him, and he'd put her in the hospital. He'd gone by the name of James Marcus then. Before Ellensburg, he had been in Wenatchee, where he'd been a suspect in an attempted murder case. He was known there as Jimmy Caius. Charlie was extremely on edge after learning all this, and was terrified to let me go anywhere alone. Not that I was ever alone. If Charlie wasn't around, someone else was.

It was a week before Christmas, and I was hanging out at the Cullen house. Edward and I were stowed away in his room, while Alice and Jasper were in hers. The Cullen patriarchs were at a Christmas party, leaving us kids to our own devices. Good thing the bedrooms weren't too close to each other, otherwise I'm sure I'd have heard some stuff I never wanted to. We were laying on Edward's bed listening to the jazz playlist he had on his iPod. It was nice to just lay with him and relax. I wanted to forget about school, forget about the holiday, and mostly forget about The Creeper. And the best way to do that was to lay around with Edward. We had spent the past hour discussing The Creeper and what he may or may not be doing and I was tired of discussing him.

"Edward," I whined. "Can we stop talking about him, please."

"Sorry, love. What did you want to talk about?"

I did a little internal squeal at the use of the word love. "Who said I want to talk?"

A sexy smirk came across his face as he rolled onto his side and tugged me to him. His lips came down on mine, asking for entrance. Immediately, I parted my lips for him, letting out a moan when his tongue gently stroked mine. Gently he sucked on my tongue, following it with erotic little bites along my lips. Slowly the kisses softened, sweetened. Gasping for air, I pulled my lips away from his. How he wasn't breathless was beyond me. His lips trailed kisses along my jaw, down to my neck, licking and nipping the whole way. I let out a soft moan when he bit me gently behind my ear. Oh yeah. I definitely liked that. A little too much. I felt Edward smile against my skin when his love bite made me shiver. Sitting up, he whipped off his shirt and pulled me up, tugging mine off as well. I sat in front of him, clad in a light blue lace bra.

"Gorgeous," he murmured, tracing the lace with a fingertip. God, he could drive me mad with one little touch.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, all the while his hands were behind my back, fumbling to unhook my bra. He got it on the second attempt and slowly pulled my bra off. This was as far as we'd taken things and we were fine with that. I wasn't ready to have sex yet. Well, part of me was, the other part of me wasn't. Edward never complained and seemed quite content to grope and make-out. I still blushed bright red despite the fact that he'd seen me bra-less countless times.

He pulled away and stared at me like I was the most beautiful woman in the world. "Stunning," I heard him whisper. His hands came up and cupped me, weighing my breasts in his palms before brushing his thumbs over the peaks causing them to harden even further. I emitted a gasp when his lips touched my neck. Just a touch was all it took for chills to race up my neck. My back arched as I bowed upward, seeking more of his touch, his tongue, his lips.

Another gasp stuttered out when his lips closed over my nipple, sucking gently. He nipped at the tip, grazing the puckered flesh with his teeth. He then switched to the other breast, and I let out a moan, throwing my head back and giving him better access. He plucked softly at my nipple, loving it, while pinching my other one with his fingers.

Carefully he laid me back on the bed, covering me as his brought his lips back to mine. I ran my hands down his back, reveling in the feeling of the taught muscles and satin skin beneath my hands. I could feel how aroused he was due to our activities and part of me wanted to reach down and wrap my hands around him. I managed to wiggle a hand between us and started stroking his chest. When my fingers ghosted over his nipples he let out a small growl, that became louder when I pinched one. Hmmm...he seemed to like that. Breaking my mouth away from his, I planted kisses along his jaw and neck as he had done to me. Planting my hands on his chest I pushed him, until he was the one on his back and I was straddling him. Oh my. This was new. I leaned over him, my hair falling around me like a curtain and brought my lips to his chest. His hard, firm, sexy chest. He tasted delicious. Like a mixture of salt, lust, and Edward. Yum. I licked his small nipple and was delighted to see it pucker. I was even more delighted by the moan that I heard coming from Edward. While toying with his nipple, my hand started to wander a bit. I loved the feel of his muscles rippling underneath my touch and I watched as my hand slowly made it's way further south. My fingers brushed over the dusting of hair below his bellybutton and he let out a strangled groan.

"As much as I love this, Bella. And I do. I really do. I think that perhaps we should stop unless you plan on having me ravish you."

I giggled at his words. Oh, he wanted to ravish me did he? As much as I loved the idea, I knew that now wasn't the time. Reluctantly, I removed my hands from him and moved away. Slowly, we dressed, stopping to kiss or touch along the way. As I finished putting my shirt on, I noticed the time and realized that I should be heading home.

Edward drove me home, and as we pulled up to the house, I felt that familiar tingle on my neck. The one I got when The Creeper was around. Seth was visiting friends on the Rez with Sue, and Charlie was at work.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Something doesn't feel right. Will you walk in with me?"

"Of course."

We walked up the front steps, and I unlocked the door. I hit the light switch just inside the door, and immediately, the living room was flooded with light. Nothing seemed out of place, but I was still on edge. Grabbing an umbrella from the holder that Sue had bought, I armed myself and cautiously headed upstairs, with Edward behind me.

"You know, you're probably going to do more damage to yourself with that umbrella than you would a burglar," he whispered in my ear.

"Shut up," I hissed back at him.

We made it upstairs safely and quietly, creeping toward Charlie and Sue's room. I pushed the door open and turned on the light. No one was there and nothing looked out of place. Granted, I didn't spend a lot of time in there, so I couldn't be sure. We then headed to my room. I flipped on the light, and the first thing I noticed, was that my computer was on. I hadn't left it on when I'd gone to Edwards.

"Someone's been in here," I whispered to him.

"What?"

"Yeah. My computer's on. I never leave it on," I said, making my way further into the room.

"We should call your dad."

I pulled out my phone and called Charlie. Telling him that I thought someone had been in my room. After I hung up with him, I continued my investigation. The drawers in my dresser had been opened and rifled through, and then I saw it. There, sitting on top of my dresser, was a note. I went to take it, when Edward's hand grabbed mine.

"Don't. Your dad said not to touch anything. Let's head downstairs and wait for him."

We were sitting in the living room, when Charlie came in, in full cop mode. He had one of his deputies with him, and they headed up to my room. Edward and I followed behind, as I told Charlie about the drawers being opened and the note. Putting on a pair of latex gloves, Charlie carefully picked up the note. Whatever was in it, made him furious. His face turned red and his eyes hardened.

"Son of a bitch! That bastard was here!"

"What?" I shrieked out in a voice that hurt my ears.

"Trakker. He was here. In our house. In your room. He left a note, knowing that I would read it. He's taunting us," he spat out.

"Can I see the note?"

I could tell that Charlie really didn't want me to see it, but he handed it over, along with a glove. Slowly, I opened it, almost afraid of what I'd read.

_You're such a tasty morsel. I can't wait till your mine. Next time you won't escape me. _

My face paled, and I felt myself getting faint. Edward let out a low, angry growl after reading what James had written, and his arms tightened around me. Charlie took back the note, and gave it to his deputy to take in. We headed downstairs, where Charlie sat us down.

"This is serious. He managed to break into our house and get into your room. This is his way of showing us that he can get to you anytime he wants."

"We can change the locks, right?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'll be calling a locksmith in a few minutes. Until the locks are changed, I don't want you staying here. I'm going to call Esme and see if you can't stay with the Cullens until then."

"I'm sure Mom will be fine with that. She loves Bella."

Charlie nodded and rubbed a hand over his face. He looked tired and worn out. "Mark has taken the note and is getting it processed. Now that we know James has been here, we should have no problem getting an order of protection for you."

I nodded and sat there in a daze, while he called Esme to ask if I could stay with them. She agreed, so Edward and I went up to my room to pack a bag for me. After he got off the phone with Esme, he got a call from Mark. Apparently, James had left a note in Charlie's office as well, saying that he couldn't protect me or hide me away forever. Charlie was furious. He demanded to know how James had gotten into his office. Eventually, Charlie called the locksmith, only to find that he was out of town for the next two days. Looked like I'd be sleeping over at the Cullen house for a while. Not that I was complaining. I would get to see Edward non-stop for two days.

* * *

The two days that I'd spent with Edward had been both the best, and the worst. All of our happy moments were clouded with a shadow of fear, thanks to James. The locksmith had come out and changed all of the locks, and we'd all gotten new keys. Charlie was no longer hiding a spare key under a flower pot, and he'd had an alarm system installed. I felt a bit better about being home now. Being in my room still gave me the creeps a bit, and I had a hard time adjusting to the fact that The Creeper had been in there.

It was Christmas Eve, and our family was spending it with the Cullens. Our families had become quite close over the past few months, and it made sense to spend a bit of our holiday together. We were sitting around the dining room table eating dinner, when Charlie got a call from the alarm system company. Someone had attempted to break into our house. I'm sure all of our thoughts instantly went to James. Charlie excused himself and went over to take a look. The rest of dinner was quiet and strained, as we waited for word on what had happened. After dinner, we went to the sitting room, and curled up in front of the fireplace. I was snuggled up in Edward's arms, when Charlie showed up.

"What happened, Dad?"

"Someone tried to get in. They broke a window in the living room, which triggered the alarm. When we got there, no one was around, but the guys at the station are on the look out for James. I left Mark watching the house, but I'm going to head back and board up the window."

"When you're done with that, why don't you all spend the night here tonight?" Esme offered. "I'd feel better if you did."

"We appreciate that Esme. Thanks."

So that's how our Christmas Eve was spent. Esme and Carlisle did their best to keep up our spirits, but they were dampened. It wasn't until Esme made Edward play Christmas songs on the piano, that the mood livened up. Somehow, I'd not known that he could play the piano, and I was blown away by how good he was. And how sexy it was.

I awoke Christmas morning, to kisses being placed upon my face, and opened my eyes to see a gorgeous, sleepy Edward leaning over me. Yum. Once awake, I brushed my teeth, used the bathroom, and headed downstairs. Esme had out done herself, and made a huge breakfast for everyone. Charlie had grabbed our gifts when he'd gone to the house last night, so after breakfast, we gathered in the sitting room near the big tree and exchanged gifts. I was more than surprised when I opened my gift from Charlie and Sue, and found they had bought me a laptop. Yes! I got some clothes from Alice, a gift card to Barnes and Noble from Esme and Dr. Hot, an iTunes gift card from Seth, and a beautiful bracelet from Edward. At around noon, we decided to head home. Sue and Seth were going to go visit Leah, since she had refused to spend Christmas with us, and Charlie and I were going to hang out around the house.

We arrived at our house, and I felt sick upon seeing the boarded up window. I hated that James had tried to ruin my holiday. Once inside, we unloaded our gifts, and turned on the TV. Nothing like watching _A Christmas Story_ a thousand times over. Since we'd eaten lunch with the Cullens, I wasn't planning on doing anything big for dinner. Esme had sent us home with enough left overs to feed an army, so I wouldn't have to cook. I was settled in on the couch, watching the movie, when Charlie's phone rang. Turns out it was Billy, and he wanted to know if Charlie wanted to come out for a bit. I could tell Charlie was hesitant to leave me by myself, but I assured him I was fine. I knew how to shoot his rifle if need be, and I knew how to dial 911.

I must have dozed off at some point, because I awoke to the sound of glass shattering from the kitchen. I wondered why the alarm hadn't gone off, but then I remembered that I'd forgotten to turn it back on after Charlie left. I grabbed the key to the gun case, struggling to unlock it. My hands were shaking so badly, that I could barely fit the key in the lock. Finally, I got the gun case unlocked and I grabbed one of Charlie's rifles. It didn't matter that it wasn't loaded. I just hoped it would scare who ever was in my house. Quietly, I stalked toward the kitchen and got the surprise of my life.

"Oh, Bella sweetie. I didn't think anyone was home. Would you mind putting the gun down?"

Are you fucking kidding me? As if I didn't have enough crap to worry about, now I had to deal with Renee. And on Christmas!

Lowering the gun I asked, "What are you doing here, Renee?"

"Oh, well. . .I wanted to spend Christmas with you."

"Really? You wanted to spend Christmas with me, so you break into my house?"

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. The only reason I broke the window was because my key wouldn't work in the lock anymore."

I was flabbergasted. Was she listening to herself? What about this made sense?

"Let me get this straight. You broke into my house because your key, which you shouldn't have anyway, wouldn't work?"

"Yes. I was so upset when you decided not to come visit me in Florida for Christmas, so I decided to come visit you."

"Renee. The whole reason I decided not visit you in Florida, is because I don't want to see you. And the fact that the locks have been changed, should have told you something."

And that's when the claws came out. "Well, excuse me for wanting to see _my_ daughter on Christmas. You're supposed to spend the holidays with me, but no. You decided to throw a fit and be a complete bitch when I asked you to come live with me."

"Excuse me! I'm the bitch? I don't think so, Renee. I'm seventeen years old. If I don't want to see my sorry-ass excuse for a mother, then I won't."

Her eyes flashed, and I saw anger burning in them. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm not the perfect mother. Excuse me for wanting a life outside of this fucking pathetic town."

"Just leave. As far as I'm concerned, you're no longer my mother. Sue is."

That was the wrong thing to say. A thunderous look came over Renee's face. "Oh she is, is she? Does she really think that she can come in and take over my life?"

"What are you on about? Your life? Your life is in Florida with husband number whatever."

But Renee was apparently done listening to me. She was pacing around the kitchen muttering to herself about how first, Sue had come in and taken Charlie from her, and now me. I had left my phone in the living room, and was wondering if it would be safe to leave Renee unattended in the kitchen to go get it. I knew Charlie would want to know about Renee being here. Just as I was about to head to the living room and leave Renee to her mutterings, I heard the front door open.

"Bella! Are you here?" called Sue.

Oh, this should be interesting. "Yes. I'm in the kitchen. With Renee."

Sue stepped into the kitchen, with Seth on her heels. Crossing her arms over her chest, she gave Renee a glare.

"What are you doing here Renee?"

Renee turned and sneered at Sue. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

"Seeing as how I'm Charlie's fiance and I live here, that makes it my business. I know for a fact that Charlie has told you never to come back. So, I'll ask again. What are you doing here?"

"I came to see _my _daughter."

"Does Bella want to see you?"

I shook my head. "Well there's your answer. I suggest you leave before I call Charlie." Sue then noticed the glass on the floor in the kitchen. She turned her gaze back to Renee and went into mama bear mode.

"You broke into our house!" she shouted in disbelief. "Sit your ass in that chair and don't move. I'm calling Charlie and having you arrested for breaking and entering."

"Already ahead of you, Mom. I called Charlie and he's on his way," Seth said from the doorway.

Renee sat there, fidgeting, ready to escape at any moment. There was something in her eyes that scared me. Fifteen minutes later, Charlie showed up with his deputy, Mark, in tow. He cleared us out of the kitchen so he could talk to Renee with Mark. From our spot on the couch, we could hear everything that was going on.

"Renee."

"Charlie. I'm so glad to see you. That vile woman in there threatened to have me arrested! Can you believe that?" she simpered.

"Don't, Renee. Don't even think of speaking about Sue that way," he snarled at her.

"Well she's being absurd! This whole thing is. All I wanted to do, was visit Bella for Christmas."

"You broke into my house!" he roared at her. "Bella already told you she didn't want to see you. Why can't you leave things alone?"

"She's my daughter too, Charlie! I'm allowed to see her whenever I want!"

"No, Renee. You're not. If Bella doesn't want you around, then you need to respect that. What's with the sudden need to play mom?"

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm not playing mom. I am her mother."

"You sure as hell haven't acted like it. Sue and Esme Cullen have taken over that role for you, seeing as how you wouldn't do it."

Of course, that angered Renee even more. It got to the point where she was yelling obscenities, and calling us all names. Charlie had Mark arrest her and charge her with breaking and entering. We watched in silence as Mark put her in the back of his police cruiser and drove off. What a crappy holiday this had turned out to be. Charlie wrapped me up in a tight hug and apologized for Renee.

"Dad. It's not your fault. Who knew she was riding on the crazy train?"

"Still, Bells. I should have been on the look out for her. It's just. . .I've been so focused on hunting down Trakker. I thought for sure that Renee would have left after the talk we had last time."

"Dad, it's okay. Really. Sure, this hasn't been the best of holidays, but I'm with my family and that's all that matters."

I was sure the next few days to come were going to be hard on everyone, but we had a wedding to look forward to. I wondered if that was Renee's real reason for showing up. Maybe she wanted to stop Charlie and Sue's wedding. Later that night, once we had calmed down, I finally fell asleep.

_It was Charlie and Sue's wedding day, and I was so excited. There was nothing that could ruin this wonderful day. Except for the fact that they were getting married in a gas station. I wasn't sure why they changed the venue from the church that they had originally planned to have the wedding in, but whatever. Sue was stunning in her beautiful off-white dress, and I admit, I looked pretty good in my lavender dress. Edward thought I did anyway. We had spent the past hour making out and running our hands all over one another, stealing as much time as we could. So there I was, walking down the aisle, flowers in hand, toward the front of the gas station. Once I got to my designated spot, I turned and watched Sue heading down the aisle. I looked over and caught a glimpse of Charlie's face. He was in awe. As if he could hardly believe that Sue was about to become his wife. _

_Sue had just reached us, when a huge clap of thunder shook the building, and rain began slashing against the windows. The lights flickered, but we continued on with the ceremony. It was going so beautifully, that I should have known that something was going to go wrong. The minister had just gotten to the part where he asked if anyone objected to this union, when the door to the gas station flew open. There stood Renee, drenched from the rain, holding a large umbrella. The look in her eyes was wild, like that of a caged animal. She closed her umbrella and held it out in front of her, like a weapon. Stalking down the aisle, dripping water everywhere. She stopped in front of Sue. _

"_Charlie is mine!" she roared, as she lifted the umbrella. Before I knew what was happening, she plunged the tip of the umbrella into Sue's chest. Blood spurted from the wound, and I watched in horror, as she stabbed her over and over. Charlie tried to wrestle the umbrella away, which resulted in his being stabbed as well. People were screaming, trying to take Renee down, but it was like she was invincible. She wouldn't be stopped. She turned to me, holding her bloody umbrella. _

"_You're no daughter of mine! You betrayed me! Now you'll pay for it!" She ran toward me, with her umbrella of death. I tried to escape, but fell and tripped over my dress. I was on the ground, watching in horror, as the umbrella came toward me. Blood dripping off of it, onto my face._

"_Please don't. Please, please don't!"_

"Bella!" someone yelled, shaking my shoulder. My eyes popped open, and I saw Seth hovering over me. I reached up and noticed that my cheeks were wet. Apparently, I'd been crying in my sleep. I looked at the clock, and noticed that it was three in the morning, on the day of Charlie and Sue's wedding. I prayed my dream wasn't a premonition of what was to come.

* * *

A/N: Well, we had a bit of drama, a bit of fluff, and some more drama. Let me know what you thought!


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.

A/N: Once again, thanks so much for all the reviews. Sorry this is a bit late. My wonderful beta lost power and just got it back on recently. FYI, I'm not real thrilled about this chapter. It's more of a filler chapter than anything, and a bit shorter than normal, so I won't take offense if you don't like it. I struggled to write this and I'm feeling a bit meh about it. I'm on vacation next week, but hope to still post the next chapter. Chylex28, thanks for putting up with me.

* * *

Surviving High School

After my horribly disturbing dream, I couldn't fall back to sleep. I tried, but was plagued with the vision of Renee stabbing everyone to death. Note to self, make sure there were no umbrellas anywhere near the wedding. Tossing and turning, I finally gave up, and grabbed my laptop. With laptop in my lap and pillows piled behind me, I logged into Facebook. I wasn't on more than a minute, when my chat popped up.

**Emmett McCarty:** what up farmer swan

**Bella Swan:** i am not, nor will i ever be a farmer. you know that.

**Emmett McCarty:** now, little bo peep, dont be like that. why u up so early

**Bella Swan:** bad dreams

**Emmett McCarty:** =( thats no good. hey, i got a xmas present for you! youll get it after the wedding.

**Bella Swan:** im almost afraid to see what you got me. but ive got your present as well.

**Emmett McCarty:** woot! luv presents! want to farm with me

**Bella Swan:** no

And then I logged off. I knew if I stayed on, he'd just harass me to farm and I would eventually cave. I couldn't have that. I had a strict no-farming policy. By the time six had rolled around, I was showered and downstairs, making breakfast for everyone. Pancakes, eggs, toast, and bacon were waiting when the troops made their way down.

"Bella! You didn't have to make breakfast," Sue commented when she saw the table.

I gave her a smile. "I don't mind. Besides, it's your wedding day. You shouldn't have to cook on your wedding day."

The wedding was the most unconventional wedding that I'd ever seen planned. There was no separating of the bride and groom the night before, there was no church, no big fancy reception. It was going to be a quiet, simple affair. Alice had almost thrown a fit about that, but Sue and Charlie had pointed out that this was a second marriage for both of them, and there was no need for a big fuss. That was how I found myself in the sitting room of the Cullen's house, at two in the afternoon. Leah and I were both wearing light lavender dresses, while Seth was sporting a charcoal gray suit. No tux for him. Or Charlie. The fact that Sue managed to get Charlie into a suit, was a miracle to begin with. Reverend Weber stood at the front of the room, with Charlie and Sue before him. I was standing next to Charlie, and Leah and Seth were next to Sue. I could tell that Leah was less than thrilled to be there, but at least she'd shown up. Behind us were a few rows of chairs, seating the guests that were invited. There were less than thirty people there, and that was the kind of wedding I wanted. Nice and simple.

I teared up a bit when Charlie and Sue exchanged their vows. Sue had wanted them to write their own vows, and I was surprised that Charlie had manged to do it. He even choked up a bit when he was reading them. Finally, they were pronounced husband and wife, and shared a very sweet kiss.

"Congrats, Dad and Sue!" I exclaimed, giving them both hugs afterward.

We all moved into the formal dining room, where Esme had set up a banquet. Everyone gathered around the tables and listened as Billy gave a speech and toast to the newlyweds. The cake was cut, and soon we were all sitting around, eating and talking. Charlie and Sue had both taken two weeks off so they could have a honeymoon. Charlie was taking Sue to Hawaii. Neither of them had been there before, but Sue had always wanted to go. Seth would be staying with Billy and Jake while our folks were away, and I was given the option of staying at home or with the Cullens. I chose to stay with the Cullens, of course. After eating our fill, we said goodbye to the married couple.

I gave Charlie a huge hug. "Congratulations again, Dad! I'm so happy for you!"

He hugged me back. "Thanks, Bells. Have fun with the Cullens while we're gone. And be safe. Keep an eye out for James, and if you see him, call Mark immediately. Okay?"

"You bet."

I then hugged Sue, and watched as they climbed into her car, and drove off toward the airport. Standing outside in the snow, I really wished I was going to Hawaii as well. Although, I wouldn't be able to spend two weeks with my wonderful boyfriend if I went. By the time we saw them off, and the guests had left it, was a little before six. Billy, Jake, and Seth were the last to leave.

"Behave, Bells," Seth told me with a grin.

"Of course. Same to you."

"Nah. Where's the fun in that?"

We said goodbye, and I headed inside to help the Cullens clean up. Once we were done, us kids headed down to the den to watch some movies before the New Year's countdown began. Edward and I curled up on one end of the couch, with Jasper and Alice on the other. Emmett and Rose were curled up on the love seat, kissing, when he suddenly pulled away from her.

"Holy crap! I almost forgot. I have presents for you guys!" he yelled, then ran up the stairs to get them.

I figured I might as well get his present, and Rose and Jasper's as well, so I excused myself and went to the guest room where my stuff was. I quickly grabbed the three presents and made my way back downstairs, almost tripping and falling as Emmett ran into me.

"Whoa there, Farmer Swan. Can't have you falling and breaking any more bones."

"Perhaps, you should watch where you're going, and not run people over."

"Now, now Miss Falls-a-Lot. Don't get snippy, or else I won't give you your present."

I rolled my eyes at him, and making sure that he was a safe distance away from me, began my dissent down the stairs. Entering the den, I tossed Rose her present and Jasper his. Once Emmett was seated, I tossed him his. I'd bought Rose some pretty earrings that I'd seen in Port Angeles, got Jasper a historical novel that he'd wanted, and I got Emmett a shirt that said _Made of Awesome. _Rose shook her head when she saw it, while Emmett's eyes went wide.

"Awesome! You rock, Bella!" he yelled at me, before rushing over to wrap me up in a suffocating hug.

"Oh, these earrings are so pretty. Thank you, Bella."

Once free from Emmett, he handed me my gift. It was small and rectangular. Opening it up, I found myself holding a Zynga gift card for Farmville. You had to be fucking kidding me? I looked at him and found him beaming at me.

"Thanks?"

"See! I knew you'd like it! Now you have to play Farmville with me!"

I gave him a small smile and turned to the gift that Jasper had given me. I opened my present to find a book that I'd been wanting. I thanked Jasper, then began to open my present from Rose. I opened it and found the latest season of Doctor Who. Holy shit! I gave a squee, and Rose a hug.

"Thanks so much! I've been wanting this!"

I saw Emmett pouting that I wasn't as appreciative of his gift as I was Rose's. I felt slightly bad, but honestly. Did he really think that I would voluntarily play the stupid game? I settled back into Edward's arms, as we began to watch some movie that Emmett had gotten for Christmas. I had no idea what the movie was about. I was too busy focusing on Edward and his deliciousness. My head rested on his chest, and all I could focus on, was the softness of his t-shirt and the hardness of his chest underneath my cheek. My fingers were playing on his stomach, under his shirt, tracing circles. His hand reached down and held mine.

"You're distracting me from the movie," he whispered in my ear before placing a kiss below it.

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

"You're right. I'm not. I can't help it. Whenever I'm near you, I want to touch you."

And of course, I turned bright red after I said that. He let out a little growl.

"Damn woman! You're going to kill me," he told me in a low, strangled voice. I gave him a smirk. I was going to get to torment the poor boy for the next two weeks.

A half hour before midnight, Esme and Carlisle called us upstairs. We all gathered in the upstairs living room and got settled in. I sat on the floor, between Edward's legs, next to Alice and Jasper. Esme gave us each a glass of sparkling cider, with champagne for herself and Dr. Hot. We watched the ball drop in New York, as Alice got up to hand us all noise makers. Soon we were counting down to the new year.

"5...4...3...2...1...Happy New Year!" we all yelled.

Then Edward's lips found mine, and I momentarily forgot where I was. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him back. Reluctantly, we parted and as soon as we did, I was swept up in a hug by Esme and passed on to Dr. Hot. Hmmm...hugging him was almost as good as hugging Edward, and I was sure I was blushing. Finally, I was back in Edward's arms.

"What's with the blush?"

"It's nothing," I told him. There was no way I was going to tell him that I enjoyed being hugged by his dad. Thankfully, he didn't press me on the issue.

* * *

All too soon, Christmas break was over, and school was starting. At least this year, I'd had a decent and somewhat interesting Christmas. Usually, Christmas was spent watching TV with Charlie, and hanging out with Billy and Jake. The first day of school, after the holiday, had me being rudely awakened by a tiny bouncing demon.

"Wake up! We have to get you showered and dressed, and then I'm going to do your hair and makeup!" she squealed.

I threw the covers over my head and buried myself under the blankets. I was so not ready for an Alice first thing in the morning.

"Go away!" was my muffled reply. The covers were ripped away from me, leaving me laying in my pj's, freezing.

"Alice! Leave her alone!" Edward yelled from down the hall.

"Just let me sleep for like, five more minutes. Please," I whined.

"Fine!" she snarled as she stomped out.

Reaching down, I grabbed the covers and pulled them back over me, snuggling into my pillows. I had just started to fall asleep, when a body landed on my bed. Figuring it was Alice, I ripped the covers from my head and turned to glare at the person next to me. Oh my. Edward in the morning was a sight to see. His hair was sticking up in all directions, his eyes were a bit sleepy, and he was wonderfully rumpled. Yum.

"Morning, beautiful."

"Hmmph."

"Sorry about Alice. She's very much a morning person."

I jabbed him in the stomach with my finger. "You should have warned me," I grumbled.

He leaned down and placed a gentle, sweet kiss on my head. "Sorry, love, but honestly, haven't you figured out that Alice is always chipper."

He crawled under the covers with me and pulled me into a warm embrace. I nestled my head on his chest, and delighted in the feel of Edward in the morning. Fearing I'd kill him with my dragon breath, I refused to kiss him on the lips, but my lips found purchase other places. I pressed a small kiss to his chest, his neck, his cheek. He pulled me in tighter, and hugged me harder, pressing his chest to mine. I was wonderfully comfortable.

"Okay! You've had your five minutes. Get up, get up!" the annoying voice of the demon hollered, as she barreled through my door. Edward and I both glared at her, but she wasn't to be deterred.

Grumbling, I climbed out of the bed and made my way to the shower. I heard Alice yell something about laying out clothes for me, and that I'd better be more awake when I was done in the shower. Thankfully, the bathroom was connected to the guest room, so I didn't have to worry about Edward seeing me in a towel. Not that that would be a huge deal, since he'd seen me topless already, but still. It would be embarrassing. I came out of the bathroom and found that Alice, had indeed, laid out an outfit for me to wear. I was glad to see that she'd picked out a pair of jeans and one of the new sweaters she'd bought me. I was terrified that she'd try and put me in a skirt. I had just finished getting dressed, when Alice came back into my room. The girl had a serious problem with not knocking on doors. She grabbed my hand and dragged me to her room. Once there, she sat me down in front of her vanity and began fooling around with my hair. After what felt like hours of torture, my hair was done in a fancy French braid. Next, she began applying makeup.

"Alice," I whined. "Why do I have to wear makeup? I never wear it."

"Because."

I let out a huff and crossed my arms over my chest. That was a stupid answer. When she pronounced me done, I turned to look in the mirror. I looked pretty, but there was no way I was going to put this crap on my face every day. I headed back to my room and grabbed my backpack before heading down for breakfast. Entering the kitchen, I found Esme at the stove, making eggs for everyone.

"Good morning, Bella. Did you sleep well?"

"I slept great, until a bundling ball of energy woke me up this morning and decided to play Barbie Bella," I told her as I took a seat at the counter.

Esme let out a laugh. "I'm sorry, dear. You do look lovely though."

A few minutes later, the bundling ball of energy popped into the kitchen, followed by Edward. He came over and wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"Feeling more awake yet?"

"No. I was forced to play dress up," I told him, then turned to Alice. "Don't think that you'll be playing Barbie Bella with me the whole time I'm here. This was a one time thing."

Alice sat down and gave me a pout. "But, Bella."

"No!"

She continued to pout, but I refused to give in. I hated wearing makeup. Edward sat down beside me at the counter and reached over to steal a bite of my toast.

"Hey."

He gave me a cheeky grin, then kissed my cheek. After breakfast, we headed to school. The first few hours were blissfully quiet. I was in the bathroom during biology, when I overheard Victoria on her phone. Had I known that Victoria was going to be in the bathroom at the same time as me, I would have waited. She obviously thought she was alone, because she began talking quite loudly.

"James! Where are you? I miss you so much."

Holy shit! She was talking to that fucking creeper? And you can bet, she sure as hell wouldn't mention that to Charlie or her father! I quickly, but carefully, stood up on the toilet seat so that I could see her. I peeked over the top of the stall, and saw her pacing back and forth, a worried look on her face.

"Uh huh. Isabella said that you attacked her, and that's why the police are looking for you, but I know that's not true. You would never do that."

I strained to hear what James was saying to her, but I couldn't. All I could do was listen to Victoria's side of the conversation. Hopefully, that would be enough for me to learn something about The Creeper's whereabouts.

"I miss you so much. I can't wait to see you again. Uh huh. Nine o'clock tomorrow? Sounds good. Love you."

She hung up, and I waited until I saw her leave, before going back to class. I slid into my seat next to Edward, and proceeded to tell him what I'd heard.

"You need to tell the police," he whispered to me, while we completed our lab.

"I will." I called Charlie's deputy, Mark, in between class, and let him know what I'd learned.

"Thanks, Bella. She didn't happen to mention where she was meeting him, did she?"

"No. Just when. Can't you follow her or something?"

"Bella. Let us do our job. I'll let you know what we find out."

I thanked him and hung up. The rest of my day went quickly, with only one snarky encounter with Jessica. I was headed to my locker after the last bell had rung, when I, literally, ran into her. It was a complete accident, but she took it as a deliberate act.

"Watch where you're going, Swan!" she barked at me.

Wow. She'd resorted to using my last name. I rolled my eyes and continued on, paying her no mind.

"You know you're pathetic right? First you break Victoria and Edward up, and now you're trying to break her and James up. You're such a bitch."

I rolled my eyes again, and ignored her, grabbing some of my books. I wasn't going to waste my breath on her.

"Perhaps you shouldn't talk about things you know nothing about," came Edward's voice from behind me.

Jessica looked startled to see Edward standing there at first, but then she shot us both a glare. Flipping her hair behind her shoulder, she turned her gaze toward Edward.

"She's just using you. Once she manages to break up Victoria and James, she'll move on to him," she told him.

Edward narrowed his eyes at her. "Once again, you have no idea what you're talking about. You're pathetic and jealous, and it's very unbecoming. Do us a favor and leave us alone."

Edward wrapped his arm around me, and we headed out to his car. The ride to his house was quiet, both of us lost in thought. After we arrived at his house, I went up to my room to put my bag away. He followed me in and threw himself down on my bed. He stretched out, and opened up his arms. Immediately, I flew into them. Nothing made my day better than being wrapped up in Edward's arms. I lay my head down on his chest, my fingers running over his chest. His hand came up and wrapped mine in it, giving me a squeeze.

"What are you thinking, sweet girl?"

"That I want all this crap with James to be over. I'd thought after all the drama with Victoria, that things would go back to normal, but it hasn't. I'm tired of the drama. I just want to spend the rest of high school days drama free."

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "I know, love. Hopefully, James will be caught soon. I plan on spending the summer, and all of senior year, with my beautiful girl."

"Oh, you do, huh? So, who's this beautiful girl?"

His fingers reached over and dug themselves into my ribs, tickling me. "Who do you think, silly girl?"

"Jessica?"

He flipped us over and looked down at me, a look of disgust and horror on his face.

"That's so wrong. Ugh!" he said, giving a slight shudder.

I laughed and ran my fingers through his hair, bringing him down for a kiss. His warm, soft lips moving against mine. I curled my fingers into his upper arms, and held on. Slowly, he moved his tongue across the seam of my lips, and I parted for him. He welcomed the invitation and swept inside, devouring me. He broke away so he could kiss my jaw, then he licked and nipped the soft skin under my ear. A shiver ran through me, and I let out a moan. His hand cupped a cloth covered breast, which he gave a gentle squeeze, then let go. I let out a moan of disappointment, but realized that it wasn't the time and place, especially with the bedroom door wide open. Edward rolled off of me and stood up, offering me his hand. Taking it, we headed downstairs and found Alice in the kitchen with Esme.

"Hello, dears. How was school?"

We sat down and told her about our day, leaving out the bit about Jessica. I was getting ready to tell her about Victoria, when my phone rang. Looking down, I saw that it was Charlie.

"Dad! How are you? How's Hawaii? How's Sue?"

Charlie let out a laugh. "I'm great, it's great, Sue's great. I wanted to call and see how things were going with you."

"They're alright."

I proceeded to tell him that I'd overheard Victoria talking to James. I was quick to reassure him that I'd let Mark know, and that they were taking care of things. Whatever that meant. We chatted for a few more minutes, then said our goodbyes. Later that night, I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, but couldn't. I would sleep for a few minutes, then be woken up by nightmares. Letting out a huff, I threw the covers off and tiptoed downstairs. Maybe a cup of hot chocolate would ease my mind. I had just finished pouring the hot chocolate into a mug, when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my waist, almost causing me to drop the mug.

"Aaah!"

"Sorry, love. I didn't mean to scare you."

I put a hand over my heart, feeling my heart race. Then I turned and smacked Edward on the chest.

"Don't sneak up on me like that again!"

"Sorry. What's got you up so late?"

"I couldn't sleep. Kept having bad dreams," I told him with a sigh.

He sat with me while I finished my drink, then walked me back upstairs.

"Want to cuddle with me a bit?" he asked me, as we walked by his room.

"I'd love that."

He led me to his room, and told me to get comfortable, while he shut the door. I climbed onto his bed, and burrowed under the covers, inhaling his smell. I rolled onto my side and watched as Edward crawled in next to me. Immediately, he pulled me into him, wrapping his strong arms around me, as I burrowed into his embrace. I let out a contented sigh and pressed a kiss to his neck.

"This is just what I needed," I told him in a whisper.

"Hmmm."

He leaned down and nuzzled my neck, pressing small kisses along it, causing shivers to erupt all over my skin. He stopped to nip at my collar bone, and pressed kisses along my shoulder, until he reached the strap of my tank top. He snapped it with his teeth, while his hands reached underneath and began rubbing my stomach. Before long, he was laying on top of me, both of our tops on the floor. I loved the sensation of his skin against mine, and judging by the reaction I felt below his waist, he enjoyed it as well. His lips had left mine and were currently traveling down toward my breast. His hand reached up and cupped my breast, rubbing a thumb over my nipple. My breath picked up as his fingers continued to roll my nipple and lightening was spreading through my body.

His lips found my nipple, and he gave it a gentle tug with his teeth before sucking on it. A guttural moan left my lips as my back arched and I pressed into him. He thrust forward a bit and released my nipple to let out a moan of his own. Turning onto his side, his hand that had been on my breast, began to travel down my stomach. His fingers lightly traced the edge of my yoga pants, asking permission to take them off. I was a ball of nervous energy. I gave him a slight nod, and waited with baited breath as he slowly pulled them down my legs.

I had closed my eyes and turned my head away from him, afraid to see his reaction. His hand reached out and turned my head toward him.

"Open your eyes, love."

Slowly, I opened my eyes and found myself staring into his eyes, bright with desire. I was wanted and in that moment, I felt powerful. I held my breath as his hand slowly slid up from my ankle up to my thigh. I was so glad that I'd shaved that morning.

"So soft," he murmured before pressing a kiss to my lips.

We both watched as his hand slid closer and closer to my boy shorts. He was hesitant in his actions, but at the same time, confident. His pointer finger traced the edge of my shorts, dipping underneath to rub lightly on my skin. I jumped from the contact, not quite expecting it. His finger retreated and began to trace along the edge of my underwear. As much as I wanted this, I wasn't ready to remove them and I told him so.

"Edward. I'm...uh...not sure I'm quite ready for all of this."

Without question, he removed his hand and pressed his lips to mine again.

"That's fine, Bella. We can stop."

I bit my lip. I didn't quite want to stop. "Um...it's not that I want to stop necessarily, but I justwanttokeepmyunderwearon," I blurted.

Apparently, he understood what I said, because he gave me a smirk and resumed his attentions down below, above my shorts. His fingers traced over my hips and moved lower, until his palm cupped me. I could feel the warmth of his hand burning through the cloth and felt my blush began to take over. It was stupid to be this embarrassed. I was a seventeen year old girl; it's not like I'd never touched myself before. But to have someone else touching me, was a whole different experience.

His fingers began a gentle rhythm, tracing up and down until his fingers found my sensitive bundle of nerves. Pleasure shot through me and let out a moan, begging him to not stop. He didn't. His fingers continued until he brought me to my first non-self induced orgasm. Slowly, he removed his hand from me, then grabbed me in a passionate kiss. I was already breathing hard, and his kiss left me light headed.

"That was beautiful," he whispered in my ear, pulling me flush against him.

I was unsure if he wanted me to reciprocate, I tentatively reached out and touched him through his boxers. He let out a hiss at my touch and pulled away. I was a bit hurt and confused, which must have shown on my face.

"Don't you want me to—" I gestured toward his tented boxers.

"My sweet girl, that was all for you."

"But—" I began.

He pressed his lips to mine. "No buts. I'm fine."

I nodded my head, then excused myself to use his bathroom and clean up a bit. Once done, I crawled back into his bed, wrapping myself up in him.

I hadn't planned on falling asleep in Edward's bed, but it happened. I'd meant to set the alarm, so that I could wake up early and sneak back into my own bed, but I'd obviously forgotten. I was in a wonderful sleep, my body spooned into that of Edward's, when a hand reached out and shook my shoulder.

"Bella! Bella!" a voice hissed at me.

I cracked open an eye and found myself face to face with Alice.

"What?"

"You need to get up and get to your room before Mom and Dad find out," she whispered.

Holy shit! I shot straight up, the covers falling off of me. I heard Alice let out a gasp, that quickly turned into a snicker. I looked down and realized that I was still topless. Face burning, I grabbed the covers and tugged them up over my chest.

"I'll, uh, leave you to get dressed. Hurry up though."

I gave her a nod, then climbed out of the bed, searching the floor for my shirt and pants. Edward rolled over in the bed, opening an eye as he heard me searching around.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a raspy voice.

"We forgot to set an alarm. I need to get back to my room before your parents find out. Help me find my clothes!"

He propped up on one arm, watching as I stumbled around his room, looking for my clothes. I finally located my shirt and yoga pants under the bed. Grabbing them, I pulled them on, gave Edward a light kiss, then headed out the door. I had just shut his door and was tiptoeing down the hall, when I heard Esme's voice.

"Bella? You're up awfully early. Is everything okay?"

Aw, crap. I was so busted. I couldn't lie to save my life, so I figured I'd better tell the truth. Sort of. Taking a deep breath, I turned and faced her.

"I...um...I had a bad dream earlier and I asked Edward if I could cuddle with him for a bit." Okay, so apparently I could lie. A little bit. I stood there, face red, waiting for Esme's response. I feared the worse.

"Oh, Bella. I'm so sorry you're having bad dreams. I realize that you find Edward very comforting, but I'm just not comfortable with allowing you to stay in his room."

I nodded my head in understanding. "I won't do it again. I promise."

She gave me a soft smile and pulled me into a hug. "I know, Bella. I trust you and I trust Edward, but you are both teenagers, and your hormones are all over the place. I'm sure I don't need to tell you to be careful if the two of you decide to take your relationship to the next level."

"Oh! Um...we haven't done that. If we do, we'll be safe," I stammered out, red in the face. Thankfully, she didn't press the issue any further, and I was able to escape to my room, where I could die of embarrassment. I figured after that, I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, but I did. A little after seven, I was woken by Alice. She had managed to tone down her enthusiasm for the day, for which I was eternally grateful. Once up and dressed, I headed downstairs, when I overheard Esme and Carlisle talking quietly in the foyer. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but couldn't stop once I heard my name mentioned.

"I caught Bella coming out of Edward's room this morning. I'm pretty sure they were just sleeping, but her shirt was inside out."

Oh my God. I was so embarrassed. I knew that I should continue into the kitchen and stop listening, but apparently I was a glutton for punishment.

"Well, dear. I can have a talk with Edward later if you like."

"I think that would be for the best. I talked to Bella a bit about it this morning, she promised me it wouldn't happen again, and I believe her."

I didn't bother to stick around and hear what else they were saying. I raced into the kitchen and found Alice and Edward eating breakfast. I grabbed a box of cereal and poured myself a bowl, but my appetite was pretty non-existent. As soon as I was done with breakfast, I went upstairs and got my bag, and met Edward at his car. He opened the door for me, and I climbed in. Once he was seated in the driver's seat, he turned to me, worry etched on his face.

"You're awfully quiet this morning. What's wrong?"

"Your mom totally busted me coming out of your room this morning."

"Oh no! How bad was it?"

"It was so embarrassing. Apparently, my shirt was inside out."

He let out a little snicker at that. I hit him on the arm. "Anyway, I promised your mom that I wouldn't sleep in your room anymore."

He stuck out his lower lip in a pout, and I couldn't help but laugh at him. Although, I felt the same way myself. I'd really enjoyed sleeping in his arms.

* * *

Friday rolled around, and I was more than ready for it. Edward had spent the week planning a date for us, and I was excited about it. But not excited enough to let Alice play Barbie Bella, much to her disappointment. I was upstairs in my room, getting ready for our date, when Alice knocked on my door.

"Hey, Alice," I said, motioning her into the room.

"I know that I'm not allowed to play dress up with you, but I wanted to see what you were wearing."

I had no idea where we were going, but Edward had told me to dress warmly. I'd decided to put on a pair of nice jeans, and one of the sweaters Alice had gotten me for Christmas. She seemed thrilled that I was wearing something she bought me, and it seemed to appease her, despite the fact that I wasn't allowing her to doll me up. We sat and talked for a while, catching up on things, when Edward knocked on my door. He was wearing a dark pair of corduroys and a long-sleeved shirt. Like always, he looked stunning. He told me to grab my coat, hat, and gloves, and we were all set. We drove into Port Angeles and had dinner at Applebees. Afterward, he drove us to this little park that I'd never seen before. Pulling up, I noticed that there were a lot of cars in the parking lot. Then, I saw the sign. He was taking me ice skating.

"Edward! You do know that I'm going to end up at the ER before our date is over, right?"

"Don't be silly, sweet girl. I won't let anything happen to you."

I rolled my eyes. More than likely, we'd both end up in the ER. I'd never been ice skating before, with good reason. I could barely walk on stable, dry land, and now my boyfriend wanted me to put on skates, and glide across slippery ice. Edward was so excited about ice skating, that I went along with it, so not to hurt his feelings. We were sitting on a bench in the cold, while he helped me lace up my skates. I was terrified, and I'm pretty sure he could tell.

"Bella?"

"Hmmm?"

"Everything is going to be fine. I promise. We'll go slow, and we're going to have fun."

I gave him a weak smile and a small nod. Once he had his skates laced, he stood up and held out his hand to me. I grabbed it and held on as tightly as I could. He slowly guided us onto the ice. It was obvious that he'd done this before. He was confident, while I was wobbly and terrified. He took both my hands in his, as he skated backwards, in an attempt to help guide me along the rink. It was more like he was pulling me, as I glided. Edward was more than patient with me. He told me to move my feet, and how to glide. When he let go of one of my hands, I almost had a heart attack. Before long, we were skating side by side, him holding my hand the whole time. At around ten, we called it quits. We sat down, unlaced our skates, and put our shoes back on. After turning in our skates, Edward suggested some hot chocolate to warm us up. I readily agreed. He got in line at the little kiosk, while I waited on a nearby bench for him. I heard someone approaching, and looked up with a smile on my face, thinking it was Edward. I was wrong. There, standing next to the bench, was James.

* * *

A/N: Okay, lay it on me.


	26. Not Fragile

Disclaimer: No Twilight ownership here.

A/N: So I spent 7 hours sitting in the theater to watch a double feature of Harry Potter. Let's just say, I'm too old to sit there for that long. I've been on vacation all week, and I wasn't sure that I'd get this chapter done since my muse decided to take a vacation as well. It's been crazy hot here in the Midwest, which hasn't helped my muse at all. Anyway, I figure we've got about three chapters and an epilogue left. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. Chylex28, thanks for all your hard work.

* * *

I'm not breakable, I'm unshakable  
Why you trying to hold me down?  
(Why you trying, trying to hold me down?)  
I'm not breakable, so unstoppable  
Nobody's gonna knock me out  
No bending me  
I'll never be  
Like broken glass  
Cause I'm not fragile like that  
No one will see  
Fragments of me  
Like broken glass  
Cause I'm not fragile like that

"Not Fragile" by Christina Grimmie

* * *

Surviving High School

_There, standing next to the bench, was James._

"Hello, Sweet Isabella."

I refused to acknowledge him, instead, focusing my energy on searching for Edward. He'd been standing in the line not a few feet from me, but now I couldn't see him. Where was he?

"Don't waste your time looking for him. I've arranged for your little boyfriend to be occupied for the next few minutes," he said with a smirk.

Full panic set in. What did he mean that he'd arranged for Edward to be occupied? If he'd hurt Edward, I was going to kill him.

"Where is he?" I demanded, anger overriding the panic.

"Busy," was his reply. He reached over and grabbed my arm, dragging me into a standing position. I quickly took a look around, and noticed that there were still a few people milling about. Now was my chance to attract some attention. As he started to drag me toward the parking area, I tried to yank my arm out of his grasp.

"Let me go," I hollered at him, furious at the fucking bastard.

He came to an abrupt stop and leaned in. "Listen to me, you fucking bitch. If you so much as _think_ to cause a scene, I'll make sure you regret it."

Fuck that. He could threaten me all he wanted, but I'd be damned if I wasn't going to make a scene. I knew that getting attention was going to be the only way he'd let me go. So taking a deep breath, I let out a bloodcurdling scream. My scream startled the hell out of James. He, obviously, hadn't been suspecting me to cause a scene after his little threat. I screamed and screamed, yelling that he was trying to take me, and that I didn't want to go with him. My screams garnered the attention of several people, and a couple of middle-aged men began running our way.

"You fucking whore! You're going to pay for this," he hissed at me, before taking off toward the parking lot. I watched as the coward ran off.

"Miss? Miss? Are you okay?" one of my rescuers asked me.

I turned to look at the small crowd that had gathered nearby. I gave the man who'd asked the question, a small nod, while rubbing the arm that James had grabbed. An elderly woman led me over to the bench that I'd been sitting on, shoving a cup of hot tea into my hands. I had just taken a sip, when I heard Edward's frantic voice calling my name.

"Bella! Bella!"

I looked over and saw him running toward me. I set the cup of tea down on the bench next to me, and ran toward him, throwing myself in his arms. I clung to him, as he did to me, burrowing his face in my hair.

"God, Bella. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I should have insisted that you stay by my side," he rambled in a voice full of regret and panic.

I held him tighter, and did my best to soothe him. "It wasn't your fault. We both thought I'd be perfectly safe here. Neither of us had any way of knowing that James was going to be here watching."

He let out a sigh, and pressed a hard kiss to the side of my head, then pulled away to press a kiss to my lips. "I should have known something was going on. Victoria came up to me while I was in line, and started talking to me. I didn't realize until it was too late, that it was a ploy to distract me. I'm so sorry, Bella."

"Shh. It's okay. I'm okay. You're okay. We're both okay, and that's what's important. I need to call Charlie and Mark and let them know what happened."

Edward and I walked back to his car and locked the doors immediately upon entering it. Pulling out my phone, I called Mark and let him know that James had grabbed me, and had Victoria helping him out. After agreeing to go down to the station tomorrow, I gave Charlie a call. He was furious, and was talking about cutting his honeymoon short and coming home on the next flight available. I managed to talk him out of it. He'd be back in a week, and I wanted him to enjoy his time in Hawaii.

The drive back to the Cullen house was tense. I could tell that Edward was still blaming himself for my almost abduction, and that nothing I said would make it better. I reached over and put my hand onto his knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. We walked quietly into the house, hands clasped tightly.

"Hi dears. How was your date?" Esme asked from her spot on the love seat in the sitting room.

Edward sat down next to her and pulled me into his lap, his arms wrapping tightly around my waist.

"It was great, until James showed up," he said through clenched teeth. One of his hands had balled up into a fist, and I reached down to uncurl his fingers, lacing them with mine. We told Esme about our night, and how Victoria and James had apparently come up with a plan to distract Edward, and let James get to me. Afterward, Esme pulled me up into a tight hug, swaying us back and forth.

"Oh my poor dear," she said, brushing my hair away from my face. "I'm so sorry those vile people ruined your evening. I'm going to be calling Victoria's parents and letting them know just what they're wretched daughter is up to."

I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't be swayed. Honestly, it's not like it would make things any worse than they already were. Edward and I said goodnight to her, and headed upstairs. I was tired from the night's events, and wanted to sleep it off, but Alice had other ideas. Edward and I had just paused to kiss one another goodnight in front of my room, when Alice interrupted us.

"Guys! How was the date?" she squealed, in true Alice fashion.

I let out a sigh at being interrupted, while resting my head against Edward's shoulders.

"The date was great, the end...not so much."

"Why? What happened? Tell me!" she demanded. Letting out another sigh, I reluctantly left Edward's arms, and followed her into my room. She sprawled out on my bed, watching me like a hawk as I sat down on the edge of the bed. I proceeded to tell her what had happened, she was appalled and furious that Victoria was helping James.

"Edward must be beside himself," she said once I was done.

"You have no idea. He blames himself for not realizing that it was a ploy sooner. I've tried to tell him that it's not his fault, but, well...you know Edward. Nothing I say is going to alleviate the guilt."

"I can talk to him if you want, but I think you're right. He'll have to come to the realization on his own that he's not at fault for this."

We spent the next hour talking and catching up. Unfortunately, I learned more about her and Jasper in that hour, than I ever cared to. By the time Alice left my room, I was exhausted. I fell asleep, but tossed and turned the whole time, due to strange dreams involving the evil duo.

* * *

The rest of my time at the Cullens flew by. All too soon, Charlie and Sue were back from Hawaii, and we were settling in as a family. The day after my encounter with James, I'd headed to the police station and talked to Mark. He'd taken pictures of my arm, where a nasty bruise had formed from when James grabbed me, and I gave a formal statement, as did Edward. Esme had made true on her word and told the Laurents about Victoria and her involvement. She'd invited them over for afternoon tea, something that I thought only the Brits did, and was rather amused to see done. Esme invited Edward and I to join her in the formal sitting room, where she had tea and crumpets waiting. A few minutes later, the Laurents joined us.

"Dale. Linda. Thank you for joining me for tea," Esme began, always the gracious host.

"Well, I have to admit I was a bit surprised when you called and invited us. Will Carlisle be joining us?" Mrs. Laurent asked.

"He'll be along shortly. He's finishing up some work in his study."

No sooner had she said that, Carlisle came down the stairs and joined us. He sat down beside Esme and began pouring tea for all of us. I felt extremely out of place. I wasn't sure if there was a rule to how many crumpets I could have or how to sip my tea. Hell, I didn't even know what crumpets were, but they looked good. Edward wrapped an arm around my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze.

"Relax. It's just tea time," he whispered in my ear.

"I've never attended tea time before. Are there certain rules I need to know?" I whispered back.

He let out a little snort. "No. Just eat crumpets, drink tea, and watch mom and dad work their magic."

So I did. It started off innocently enough. Esme and Carlisle asked the Laurents how things were going, slowly putting them at ease, until they came to the real reason why they were here.

Esme sat forward in her seat and set her cup down on the coffee table. "Dale. Linda. The real reason I asked you here today, is because I wanted to talk to you about Victoria. Now I know that Charlie has filled you in on James and how dangerous he is, correct?"

They both nodded their heads. "Well, last night Edward and Bella went on a date in Port Angeles. While they were there, they ran into James and Victoria."

"That's not possible," Mrs. Laurent interrupted. "She was at her youth group bible study. I dropped her off at the church myself."

Edward set his cup down as well, and faced Mrs. Laurent. "Mrs. Laurent, I assure you Victoria was in Port Angeles last night. I'd taken Bella to the outdoor park to go ice skating. When we were done, it was a little after ten, and I went to get us something warm to drink. While I was in line, Victoria approached me and asked to talk. Against my better judgment, I agreed and not ten minutes later, I heard Bella screaming." He took a moment to steady himself and take a deep breath, so I picked up where he left off.

"While Victoria was talking to Edward, James came over to the bench I was sitting on and he grabbed my arm," I told them, lifting up my sleeve to show them the bruise that had formed. "He started dragging me toward the parking lot, and that's when I let out a scream. He let me go when he noticed that I'd drawn attention to us."

The Laurents looked dumbfounded. Mrs. Laurent kept mumbling that it wasn't possible. That Victoria had been at her youth group the whole time.

"Now, Dale. Linda. I can't stress how important it is that Victoria stay away from him. He's drawing her into his scheme and if something illegal ends up happening, then she could be charged as an accomplice."

Mr. Laurent was furious. He pulled out his phone and excused himself, heading to the foyer. A few minutes later we heard him talking.

"Would you care to tell me where you were last night, Victoria?" There was a pause. Then, "Don't you dare lie to me young lady! You were seen in Port Angeles with James last night. We told you to stay away from him. How could you be so stupid? You are in so much trouble! As soon as your mother and I get home, we're taking you down to the station to have a talk with Chief Swan and his deputy."

He hung up and came back into the sitting room. He apologized to us, then told his wife that they needed to get going. I explained to him, as they were leaving, that Charlie wouldn't be back until the end of the week, so they needed to talk to Mark. Once Charlie and Sue got home from their trip, I told them about tea time with the Laurents. Charlie assured me that Mark had talked with Victoria and expressed how dangerous James was. Whether she would actually listen, was another matter. I'd heard from Esme, that Victoria's parents were keeping her under lock and key, monitoring her every move, phone call, and Internet access. I almost knew how she felt. Ever since James had made his reappearance, I felt like I was under house arrest. I was rarely ever alone anymore, and it was starting to grate on my nerves. Everywhere I went, someone accompanied me. Even with the alarm system, I was rarely left at home alone. I was surrounded by Edward and friends at school, and Edward and I hadn't been on a date since that night because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop James from taking me. I was fed up with it. I felt that everyone was letting James win and that I was being punished. I understood that they wanted to keep me safe, but I was going fucking insane!

Edward and I were sitting on the couch in my living room, watching a movie with Seth. We were supposed to be going out, but I had a feeling that he had changed his mind.

"So what time are we leaving?" I asked him, slightly irritated that he was more focused on the stupid movie than on me.

"Leaving?"

"Yeah. Leaving. For our date tonight?"

He tore his eyes away from the movie and gave me a sheepish look. "Oh. Um...I was thinking we could just stay in. You know, watch a movie here and eat dinner."

I was so fucking annoyed and pissed off, and I was about to let Edward know it.

"This is fucking bullshit, Edward! I get that you're still feeling guilty about the whole James thing, but this is fucking ridiculous. I want to go out! I'm tired of always having dates here or at your house. I'm going insane being cooped up all the time. If you don't want to take me out somewhere, that's fine. I'll go by myself!" I shouted at him, as I got up and stomped up the stairs. I slammed the door to my room shut, threw on my shoes, and grabbed my purse. Throwing my door open, I stomped back down the stairs and headed toward the door.

"Bella! Stop. Please," Edward begged in a quiet voice.

I turned to glare at him, furious that he was trying to stop me. "What?" I spat out.

"Please listen to me. It's not that I don't want to go out with you. You know I do. I...I just feel like I'm not going to be able to keep you safe," he said, running his hands through his hair.

"Oh, get over it already!" I shouted at him, not caring if I hurt his feelings. I was so tired of being treated like a piece of glass. "I want to go out. I want to have fun and be with my boyfriend. Yes, I realize that The Creeper is still out and about, but I refuse to spend my life locked up inside until he's caught."

I was breathing hard by the time I was done, and I'm sure my face was red with anger. Edward looked shocked and a bit hurt.

"Bella, love. I had no idea you felt that way. I'm sorry. I really am. It's...ugh!," he grunted, tugging on his hair again. "Will you sit down please and hear me out?"

I gave him a nod and sat down on the couch next to him. Seth had left at some point, probably to give us privacy. He sat down on the foot stool in front of me, and clasped my hands in his.

"When I realized that Victoria was using me to distract my attention away from you, I was furious. Furious with her for going along with James' scheme, and furious with myself for falling for it. Then I heard you scream. God, Bella. I've never been so scared in my life. All I could think about was getting back to you, and how I'd failed you. If anything had happened to you, I would never be able to forgive myself."

I tugged one of my hands loose, and reached out to brush a lock of his hair out of his face. I'd had no idea he felt that way. I suppose I should have, but I was so caught up in my own misery, that I failed to notice how badly that night had affected Edward. I cupped his chin in my hand and tilted his head so his gaze met mine.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't realize how difficult all of this was for you," I told him quietly. "We can stay in if you'd like."

He gave me a small smile, then leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. "No, love. You're right. We can't keep you hidden away forever. Let's go out. Just stay by my side at all times, please."

I readily agreed. I let Seth know that we were going out and that I'd be back later. We ended up going to this little bistro that had just opened in town. It was pretty busy for a Wednesday night, but we got seated fairly quickly. We were seated at a small table near the back, and that was when I noticed Mike and Jessica sitting at the table next to us.

"Well, fuck. Maybe we should've stayed in," I murmured softly to Edward.

"Hmm. Why's that?"

"Mike and Jessica are at the table next to us. I guess they're back together."

Edward took my hand and pressed a gentle kiss to it. "Forget about them. Let's enjoy a nice dinner out."

The food at the bistro was amazingly good, and I had plenty left to give to Charlie. Or Seth. He rivaled Charlie in the leftover food department. Edward had payed the check and we headed out to the parking lot. We were almost to the mom-mobile, when we heard footsteps approaching us. Edward gripped my hand tight in one hand, and had his keys at the ready in the other.

"Hello, Edward. Bella," came the smarmy voice of Mike. Ugh. I so didn't want to talk to him, but Edward being the gentleman that he was, stopped to say hello.

"Mike. Jessica. Glad to see you're back together."

Mike seemed genuinely happy that they were back together, while Jessica seemed less than thrilled. She had her arms crossed over her chest and was busy throwing glares my way. Guess she wasn't too pleased that I had Edward and she was stuck with Mike.

"Me too. Me too. Listen, I wanted to apologize to both of you for my behavior earlier in the year. It took a while for me to realize that you were right, Bella. I was nothing more than a lap dog to Victoria. Again, I'm truly sorry for my part in things," he said, seeming sincere.

Edward held out a hand for Mike to shake and told him that he was forgiven, and I didn't really hold much of a grudge against Mike anymore. Jessica, on the other hand, didn't look very pleased with Mike.

"C'mon, Mike, let's go. He's taking me dancing in Port Angeles," she sneered. I rolled my eyes. Like I cared what they did. We said goodbye to them and got into the Volvo, heading toward my house. It had been a pleasant night, and I was more than glad that we'd finally gone out.

"Thanks for agreeing to go out to dinner," I told Edward, on the car ride home.

"I'm glad we went," he said, shooting me a smile as he reached over and squeezed my knee, causing me to shiver. A sexy smirk came over his face, as his hand traveled up to give my thigh a gentle squeeze. A little moan left my lips before I could stop it, and I saw the smirk on his face grow bigger. Well two could play that game. I reached over and trailed my fingers from his knee up to the inside of his thigh, and this time he was the one letting out a groan.

"Ah, Bella. You've got to stop. I can't concentrate on my driving while you're doing that."

Smirking a bit myself, I pulled my hand away and behaved the rest of the drive. Edward pulled into my driveway, and I saw that both Charlie and Sue were home. Hopefully, Charlie wouldn't be too mad that I'd convinced Edward to take me out. Charlie had been very pro Bella-stay-at-home and was pretty sure he had Edward on his side. Turning off the engine, Edward got out and rushed over to open my door, always the gentleman. He walked me up to the door and I invited him in. It was only a little after seven-thirty, and I figured he could hang out for a bit before heading home. We opened the door, and upon walking in, we found Charlie and Sue having an argument. Seemed a bit early in the marriage for that.

"Bella, Edward! How was your date?" Sue asked, motioning for us to join them in the living room. Hesitantly, Edward and I ventured into the room and sat down.

"It was good. We went to that little bistro that just opened up. Pretty decent food. I brought home some leftovers," I told them, holding up the doggy bag and trying to defuse the tension at the same time.

Charlie sat down in his recliner, fingers steepled under his chin, and sent Edward a glare. "I though we were in agreement that Bella was safer at home."

Edward opened his mouth to reply, but I beat him to it. "Dad! Don't blame Edward. I wanted to go out. I was going stir crazy staying in here all the time. I realize that you all are worried about me. I get that. I'm worried too, but I refuse to stay inside and let James ruin my life."

Charlie gave me a glare and told me that Sue was in the same mind set as me, and that was what they'd be arguing about when we walked in. She felt that, as long as I was being cautious, I should be able to go out. I was glad to have her on my side. The way I saw it, if James could get to me on the street, he could get to me at school or even at home.

* * *

"Hey, Miss Tumbles! You wanna hang out this weekend?" Emmett hollered at me from down the hall.

"Sure!" I hollered back.

He pumped his fist in the air, let out a _hell yeah_, then walked around the corner. I had to shake my head at him. It had been too long since I'd hung out with him. Lately, we'd all been busy and hadn't found the time to hang out. At lunch, plans were made for us to have a huge sleepover at the Cullen house, as long as the Cullen parents were cool with it. Which they were, after Alice sent Esme a text asking if it was okay.

I was excited to be getting out of the house. While Charlie had been a bit more lenient about my outings, I knew it still bothered him, so I'd kept it to a minimum. I had just stopped off at my locker to grab some shit, before heading out to Edward's car, when Victoria approached me. She'd gone and bitched at me after Esme had talked to her parents, but she'd left me alone for the most part.

Shutting my locker, I turned to face her. "Yes?" It was then that I noticed that she was wearing more makeup than normal. Almost as if she was hiding a bruise.

"You were right," she mumbled, looking around quickly to see if anyone had noticed us. The hallway was pretty empty, and the few stragglers that were left were busy grabbing their stuff in a hurry to go home.

"He hit you, didn't he?"

She gave me a small nod, then fell apart. Tears began pouring down her face, and I pulled her into a hug. Never thought I'd see the day when I was comforting Victoria. As much as I couldn't stand her, she sure as fuck didn't deserve to get used and hit by some ass wipe. As I held her, everything came out. She told me all about how impressed she was by him when she first met him. She mentioned that she felt vulnerable after the break up and had spilled everything to James. That he was there for her when she needed him. He made her feel good about herself, feeding her ego, and then slowly, he started to change. After a while he'd compliment her, then turn around and insult her. She wanted to be loved so much, that she failed to realize that he was using her. He fed into her dislike of me, and used that to his advantage.

I was still holding her, letting her get it all out, when Edward came walking down the hall. He was obviously worried, but his worry turned to shock when he saw me with Victoria. I did my best to convey that I was okay. Gently, he reached out and touched Victoria's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked her softly.

She pulled away from me and wiped her eyes. In doing so, she wiped off some of the makeup that had covered the bruise. Edward let out a growl.

"Did James do this to you?" he asked in a hard voice.

She nodded. I explained to him everything that she had told me, and we convinced her to come with me to the station to talk to Charlie. After climbing into the Volvo, we headed to the police station, with Victoria following us. I half expected her to turn tail, but she didn't. We walked into the building and found Mrs. Jones, the secretary, sitting at her desk, typing away on her computer.

"Bella, dear. It's so good to see you! Are you looking for your dad?"

"Yep. Is he in?"

"Sure thing, Hon. Go on back."

With Edward and Victoria following me, I walked down the hall and knocked on Charlie's door. He hollered out for us to come in, so I pushed the door open. I think Charlie was a bit surprised to see Victoria follow me in.

"Hey, kids. What can I do you for?"

"Victoria has something that she'd like to tell you. Go ahead," I told her, gently pushing her into a chair across from Charlie's desk.

She broke down and told Charlie everything about James. How she thought she was in love with him, how he told her that he wanted to get rid of me, and she went along with it because she was desperate for his approval and love. Charlie was silent as she told him her story. When she was done, she was in tears, distraught over what had happened. Charlie was furious. Not with her, so much, but with James.

"Is this the first time he's hit you?" he asked her, in a low voice.

"Yes. He would threaten to hit me if I didn't do what he said, but this was the first time that he actually did it. He was furious with me because Bella caused a scene that night in Port Angeles."

"I can't tell you what to do, but I think you need to press charges against him and get a restraining order. I'm going to call your parents and let them know that you're here, while you think things over," he said, before getting up and heading out to the reception area.

Victoria turned to us and asked what we thought she should do.

"If you want my opinion, you should press charges. He can't be allowed to get away with this," I told her. "I'm not sure how much you really know about him, but his name isn't really James Trakker. He's got aliases all over the place, and he even put a woman in the hospital. He's dangerous."

Charlie came back in to let Victoria know that her parents were on their way. She told Charlie that she would press charges against James and gave him every bit of information that she had. She had just given her cell phone to Charlie, when her parents came in. They rushed over to her and wrapped her up in a tight hug. Charlie asked us to leave so he could talk to them privately, so we said our goodbyes and headed to my house. Once home, we settled in on the couch to watch some TV. Neither Seth nor Sue were home, so our innocent TV watching soon turned into a hot and heavy make out session.

I was laying on top of him on the couch, fingers tugging on his bronzed locks, while placing kisses all along his jaw. He returned the favor, by nipping and grazing the skin on the curve of my neck. My body trembled when he laved his tongue up the side, toward my earlobe and over the throbbing pulse point. Finally, he brought his lips to mine. His mouth crashed over mine and he stole my breath, after devouring my lips in a greedy passionate kiss. His hands found purchase on the bottom of my shirt, tugging it up so he could run his hands over my skin. His hands were fumbling with the clasp of my bra, when the front door opened.

"Oh shit! Sorry, guys," Seth's voice squeaked out as he shut the door.

I rolled off Edward as quickly as possible, smoothing my hair, while he tried to discreetly adjust himself. Seth had his back turned to us, facing the door, and I could tell by the shaking of his shoulders that he was laughing at us.

"You decent?" he asked.

"We weren't indecent to begin with," I muttered at him.

He turned around and sat down in Charlie's recliner. My face was red. When I looked over at Edward, he had a full head of sex hair going on, and his face was almost as red as mine. Seth took one look at us and busted out laughing.

"Be so glad that I wasn't Charlie," he hooted out in between bouts of laughter.

"I'd be a dead man if you were," Edward replied.

We spent the next few hours doing homework and goofing off, until Charlie and Sue came home. Sue asked Edward if he wanted to stay for dinner, but he declined, saying he had to get home. I think he was afraid that Seth would let slip what he'd walked in on. Over dinner, Charlie told Sue and Seth that Victoria had come forward with some information regarding James, and that she was pressing charges against him as well. Later on, I asked Charlie and Sue if it would be okay if I spent the weekend with the Cullens. They both agreed that it was fine, especially after I reassured them that Esme and Dr. Hot would be around.

By the time Friday finally rolled around, I was way excited. I had packed a bag earlier in the morning, which I had thrown in Edward's car, so that we could head straight to his house after school. Alice was beside herself that we were going to be having a super fun-sized sleep over. Her words, not mine. At lunch, she sat down and told us that she had our entire weekend planned out. All of us but Jasper rolled our eyes at her announcement; he just gave her a smile and kissed her cheek. During biology, Edward and I passed the time coming up with ways to deviate from Alice's plans. By the time the last bell rang, I was more than ready to get my super fun-sized weekend started.

Esme was delighted to have all of us, and welcomed each of us with a hug and some home-made cookies. She sat us down in the living room and informed us that she and Dr. Hot would be spending the night in Seattle.

"We're attending a charity function tonight in Seattle, and by the time it's over, it'll be too late for us to drive back. Now, Carlisle and I are trusting you to behave yourselves. The only rule that we're enforcing, is that you all sleep in your designated beds. No sleeping in the same bed as your significant other. Am I clear?"

Oh dear lord. I was pretty sure that she was talking to me when she said that. I buried my face in my hands, completely embarrassed. Emmett was snickering away, and when I looked up, he was making some rather rude gestures. Jasper's face was red like mine, and it made me wonder if he and Alice had been caught doing things they shouldn't have. After promising to be good, Alice laid out our plans for the night's events.

"Alright, ladies and gents. Pay attention. Tonight's itinerary is as follows: pizzas will be ordered at six, dinner will be eaten at six-thirty. After dinner is done and the pizza is cleaned up, we will head downstairs to watch the first_ Lord of the Rings._ Once the movie is done, you're free to do what you want until tomorrow morning, when we will make breakfast at nine," she informed us in a stern voice.

I was giggling before she even finished her spiel. She reminded me of a cheesy camp counselor. All she needed was a visor and a clipboard to complete the look.

Putting a hand on her hip, she turned to glare at me. "And what is so funny, Miss Swan?"

"Your itinerary. I've never attended a sleep over that required one."

She stuck her tongue out at me, then marched us to the kitchen so we could decide what kind of pizzas we wanted. Thirty-three minutes later, the pizza had been delivered and was soon eaten, with Emmett eating most of it. Once everything was put away, we tromped downstairs to begin our _Lord of The Rings_ movie marathon. Alice and Jasper stole the love seat, while Emmett and Rose stole the couch, leaving Edward and I with the love sac. I had made the mistake of calling it a bean bag with a plush cover. Alice had soon corrected me. Edward and I sank down onto it, and I had to admit it was quite comfortable.

An hour into the movie, I heard lip smacking and some moaning coming from the love seat. I totally didn't want to hear it, and apparently, neither did Alice. She threw a pillow at Emmett and Rose and informed them that make out time was scheduled for after the movie. Edward and I were snuggled up on the love sac, my head resting on his chest, while his fingers traced circles on my arm. I was more than ready for movie time to be over, and for make out time to begin. After what seemed like hours, the movie finished, and we all went our separate ways. I had changed into my pajamas and soon found myself in Edward's room, music playing softly on his iHome, while we laid on his bed. We spent the next few hours talking softly about anything and everything, making out, and exploring one another. I had finally gotten up the nerve to play with Edward. By the time the clock downstairs chimed midnight, he was laying on his back, panting, in post-orgasmic bliss.

"Holy hell, Bella! I think you've killed me," he gasped out between breaths.

The smirk on my face grew when I realized that he'd enjoyed what I'd done to him. "So I did okay?"

"Okay? Hell yes, you did okay. More than okay. Much better than doing it myself," he said, which brought all kinds of naughty images to my mind. Once he caught his breath, and his heartbeat slowed, he put his boxers back on and pulled me into a tight embrace. I rested my head on his chest and found myself being lulled to sleep by his heartbeat. I woke up, disoriented, a few hours later. Realizing that I was once again breaking the rules, I made to get up and head to Alice's room. Edward reluctantly let me go, and after kissing a few minutes, I headed to Alice's room. I was about to push open the door, when I heard Jasper moaning Alice's name. Abruptly, I turned and headed toward the room that I had originally stayed in last month. The door was cracked open. I cautiously opened it, afraid that I might find Emmett and Rosalie going at it. Thankfully, the room was empty. I knew that I could have stayed sleeping with Edward, but I was a guest in this house, and felt the need to abide by the rules, even if the others didn't.

I was having a wonderful, Edward inspired dream, when I was awoken by soft kisses being placed along my cheek, jaw, and neck. I let out a little moan and opened my eyes, to find Edward's smoldering green ones staring back at me.

"Good morning, love."

"Morning," I told him, stretching out in the big bed. He curled up next to me, throwing an arm around my waist.

"You could've stayed with me, you know."

"I know, but I don't want to abuse your parents' trust."

He smiled and nuzzled the side of my neck. "Such a good girl."

I let out a snicker. "Well, I am good at giving hand jobs."

He roared with laughter, making the bed shake. "So true. C'mon. Let's go make breakfast with the gang before Alice takes it upon herself to come up here."

Making breakfast with Emmett was an interesting affair. Alice had decided that we were going to make muffins, pancakes, eggs and bacon. Emmett was beside himself. I had been put in charge of baking muffins, with Emmett as my helper. Or should I say, my hindrance. He was constantly getting into everything, until I made him sit at the counter with a mixing bowl.

Handing him a wooden spoon, I told him, "Now stir the batter. Do no, I repeat, do not eat it. It won't taste very good."

Emmett pouted, but sat there doing as told. I grabbed the muffin pan and asked him to pour the batter into the pan. Once the muffins where in the oven, Emmett went over to try and help Rosalie make pancakes. When she refused his help, he sat down at the counter, pouting and moaning that nobody loved him. We all rolled our eyes at his antics. He truly was nothing more than a big baby. While we ate breakfast, Alice outlined the details of our day.

"So after the breakfast dishes are done, everyone is to shower and get dressed. Make sure you dress warmly because we're going sledding! After that, we'll come inside and get warmed up and we're going to play some board and card games. Then we'll eat lunch. Now after lunch—"

"Um, Alice. Did you plan out our entire weekend in full detail?" I interrupted.

"Of course."

"Why?"

She looked at me like I was an idiot. "To maximize the amount of fun that we can have during our sleepover."

"So what happens if someone doesn't agree with the plans?" I asked, playing devil's advocate.

Alice looked at me utterly confused. "Why would anyone do that?" she asked me, as if it was a foreign concept.

"Well, what if someone didn't want to go sledding or hated board games? What would you do then?"

Alice was completely baffled. "Well...I have no idea. But that shouldn't be a problem. Everyone loves sledding and board games. Right?" she asked forcefully.

Everyone gave a slight nod, afraid to disagree. But I couldn't let it rest. It bugged me that she had every last detail planned out. "What are we doing after lunch?"

"We're going to bake cookies, then watch the second _Lord of the Rings_ movie."

"What if I wanted to bake a pie instead?" I asked. I saw Edward's shoulders shaking out of the corner of my eye and proceeded. "Or maybe I decide that I want to bake a cake. Is that allowed?"

"Bella!" she yelled at me, stomping her foot. "We're baking chocolate chip cookies! Not pie. Not cake!"

"What if I want peanut butter cookies?" Emmett asked from his side of the table.

"Emmett Michael McCarty! You're going to bake chocolate chip cookies and you're going to like it! Do not argue with me!"

I couldn't help it. I busted out laughing at how irritated she was getting. The others joined me, but Alice was pretty put out.

"I just want us to have a good time," she said sadly. Aw man. I'd hurt the little demons feelings. I got up and gave her a gentle hug.

"I was just picking on you, Ali. We'll follow your schedule for now."

We were all bundled up, the boys pulling sleds behind them, as we climbed up this huge hill on the Cullen property. We reached the top and each paired up with our men, to begin our festivities of the day. We had a blast sledding, and once we were all snow covered after a few mishaps, we headed inside to warm up. Over cups of hot coco, we played monopoly, which led to an argument between Emmett and Rosalie. Emmett had landed on one of Rosalie's properties, and couldn't afford to pay the rent. He went as far as to offer sexual services in favor of her not bankrupting him.

"Aw, cm'on Rosie baby. I'll make it worth your while," he sneered, waggling his eyebrows. Rose fell over laughing and finally agreed to let him pass without payment, telling him she'd be collecting on it later. Shudders were seen across the room as we listened to their sexual banter. We had finished the game, with Jasper the winner, had eaten lunch, and we were about to begin our cookie baking fun, when Dr. Hot and Esme came home.

"Afternoon kids! How was your evening?"

We told them it was fine and asked how theirs was. They excused themselves to head to the sitting room, and we stood in the kitchen as Alice delegated roles to each person. I had told Edward earlier that I was going to make sugar cookies, just to throw Alice off. He was all on board for that. Alice was so busy keeping Emmett in line, that she failed to notice that I had gotten and used different ingredients than the ones provided. It was tons of fun fucking with her well-laid plans. Cookies were put in the oven and once done, Alice called everyone into the kitchen. She set them out to cool, when she noticed the sugar cookies.

"What the?" she asked confused. She whirled around to stare at us, trying to find out who the guilty party was. "Who made sugar cookies?" she demanded.

Esme and Dr. Hot looked on, amused.

"Well! I want an answer!" I thought she was going to have a conniption fit, so I raised my hand.

"It was me."

"Why? I said we were baking chocolate chip!"

"I didn't want chocolate chip. I wanted sugar cookies, so that's what I made." I held up a hand before she could go on. "Alice, I realize that you want us to have fun. I get that. But dictating everything that we do, kind of takes the fun and spontaneity out of it."

She crossed her arms over her chest and continued to glare at me. I crossed my arms and glared right back. We continued to stare at each other. Then, "Fine! You're right! I didn't mean to dictate everything, I just want us to have fun."

"We're having fun. At least I am. But a little spontaneity goes a long way. So why don't we watch that movie and then just let whatever happens, happen? Sound good?"

Alice agreed, and that was that. Esme and Dr. Hot came down and joined us, then afterward we all headed upstairs to figure dinner out. That night, I was curled up in Alice's room with her and Rose. They were busy discussing Jasper and Emmett's anatomy, and I really didn't want to get drawn into that discussion.

"So, Bella. Have you played with Edward's?"

Oh God. They really wanted to have this conversation. I flopped over on my stomach, burying my face in my pillow, before nodding. They let out squeals and demanded details. There was no way I was discussing Edward's dick with Alice in the room, and I told them so. Finally, they relented and let me be. Hours later, I heard Rose sneak out, probably to collect on the debt that Emmett owed her. Completely grossed out by that train of thought, I did my best to think about Edward and soon fell asleep.

_We were walking on First Beach, enjoying a rare sunny day. The temperature was warm, the water sparkling, and Edward was perfect. We had spent the day swimming, sunbathing, and having a good time. We were laying on a blanket, eating some lunch, when a shadow came over us. I looked up and saw James, holding a gun. He pointed it at Edward's head and told me to get up. Scrambling, I got up. James reached out and grabbed my arm, all the while keeping the gun pointed at Edward. I was screaming, but there was no one around to hear me. Then James did the unimaginable. He pulled the trigger. Edward fell backward, blood pooling on his shirt. He looked down, touching the blood, a look of confusion and fear on his face. All I could do was scream._

* * *

As always, let me know you thought! _  
_


	27. Alaska and Me

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Twilight. I do own a pair of Harry Potter glasses.

A/N: Two chapters and the epilogue left. How crazy is that? I can't believe that this little idea I had, has turned out to be this long. Thanks again to all that read and review. I know there are some of you out there that don't review, and that's okay. As long as you're reading and enjoying my story, that's enough for me. Chylex28, thanks for all the help! One day, I'll learn that commas aren't evil. Or not.

We sleep near the sound of a slow running river  
And wake up most mornings to a drizzling rain  
And we face every day like the first or the last one  
With nothin to lose and heaven to gain

Heres to Alaska, heres to the people  
Heres to the wild and heres to the free  
Heres to my life in a chosen country  
Heres to Alaska and me

"Alaska and Me" John Denver

Surviving High School

Sunday morning, I was awakened by warm kisses being trailed along my jaw and down my neck. I peeled my eyes open and was greeted with a beautiful sight. Edward was stretched out next to me, propped up on his elbow. His bronze hair shined in the morning light, and his eyes sparkled. There was a bit of scruff on his face, and I reached up to run the back of my fingers over it. His hand reached up and grabbed mine, pressing a kiss into my palm.

"Morning, love," he whispered, his velvet voice caressing me.

"Morning, Edward," I replied, turning on my side and pressing a kiss over his heart.

We spent the next few minutes cuddling, until Alice knocked on the door, letting us a know that Esme wanted us downstairs to help with breakfast. Reluctantly, we parted. I told Edward that I needed a human moment, and that I'd meet him downstairs. After using the bathroom and brushing my teeth, I headed to the kitchen. Walking down the hall to the kitchen, I stumbled across Esme and Dr. Hot in an intimate embrace. He was kissing her with such passion, that I could feel the heat from where I stood. I let out a little squeak, then turned around to head back the way I'd come.

"Oh, Bella. I'm sorry, dear. We didn't see you there," Emse said in a soft voice.

I knew that my face was on fire, and I was terribly embarrassed that I'd interrupted such a private moment.

"It's okay," I mumbled, and then scooted past them as quickly as possible, making my way to the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, I sat down on the nearest stool, burying my face in my hands. A few seconds later, I felt a pair of huge hands put themselves on my shoulder.

"What's got you all red in the face?" Emmett's loud voice asked me.

"Oh, uh ... I stumbled upon Esme and Dr. H—Carlisle making out."

Emmett let out one of his booming laughs and gave my shoulders a squeeze. I was terrified that he'd catch my almost slip of calling Carlisle, Dr. Hot.

"Oh, yeah. I'm surprised this is the first time that you've stumbled upon them. They're always going at it."

"Who's always going at what?" Esme asked, coming into the kitchen with Carlisle behind her.

Emmett flashed her a grin. "You and Carlisle. Always smooching with us kids around."

Esme put a hand on her hip. "And why shouldn't we?"

"Because you're my parents, and I don't want to see it," came Edward's voice as he wrapped an arm around my waist.

Esme rolled her eyes. "Well, you didn't grow in a cabbage patch."

Edward threw up a hand. "Stop! I don't want to hear anymore."

Rose and I let out giggles at his obvious discomfort. Personally, while embarrassed, I thought it was sweet that they were still so much in love. By the time breakfast was done, the boys had been banned from the kitchen table for throwing food at each other and were on dish duty. After breakfast, I went and showered, then made my way back down to the kitchen. The boys had finished cleaning up, so I went looking for Edward. I found him in the living room, staring out at the backyard. Snow was falling, and it looked positively beautiful. Walking up to him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my cheek against his back.

"Hey," I told him softly.

His hands covered mine and gave them a gentle squeeze. He pulled me around and into his side.

"Hey."

"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing the small frown that marred his face.

He gave me another gentle squeeze. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing, if it's bothering you."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, then looked down at me. "I'm worried about you. I'm worried about James and the fact that he's still running around."

I nodded. "Me too. Hopefully, the information that Victoria provided Charlie with will help."

I hated that James was continually putting a black cloud over our lives. I wanted him gone, once and for all.

"I hope so," he said, pressing a kiss to my head. "Shall we go see what Alice has in store for us today?"

"Sure. I love messing with her plans."

In the following weeks, the Forks and Port Angeles Police Departments were working with Seattle P.D. to find James. They were able to check Victoria's phone and located a land line that James had called her from in Seattle. The police were hot on his trail, or at least I hoped they were. Charlie had been doing his best to keep us all in the loop, but we understood that there were things that he couldn't tell us.

Victoria and I had made our peace as best as we could. We were never going to be best friends, but we had settled for friendly hostility. She was still a bitch and still jealous that Edward and I were together. She and her cronies didn't bother me too much, but once in a while they'd say something to me in the hallway or bathroom. Overall, the month of February was going well.

I was walking down the hall to my locker, when I noticed several stickers in the shape of hearts adorning my locker. Upon a closer look, I noticed that there was a rose sticking out from the grate. Reaching up, I took the rose and brought it to my nose. I was absolutely giddy. It had completely skipped my mind that it was Valentine's Day. While I was busy admiring my flower, strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me against a muscular chest.

"Do you like your flower?"

I nodded. Turning in his arms, I gave him a light kiss, while thanking him. I turned away to open my locker, blinking tears out of my eyes. It was so stupid. I wasn't the type to cry over romantic gestures. I grabbed the books I would need out of my locker and turned around to see Edward holding out a gift.

"Edward!"

"What?"

"You didn't have to get me anything. I totally forgot that it was Valentine's Day."

He leaned down and kissed my nose. "I wanted to get you something. Now open it."

I took the small package and carefully unwrapped it. Inside the box, was a beautiful heart charm, encrusted with what looked like diamonds, around the edge. I let out a gasp. It was beautiful, and there was no way I could accept it. I tried to tell Edward that it was too expensive, but he wouldn't hear it. He took the heart out of the box and attached it to my bracelet.

"There. Now you'll always have my heart with you."

_Oh, that did it. _ I totally melted. I threw my arms around him, hugging him as tightly as I could. I pressed kisses everywhere I could reach. His lips, his cheeks, his jaw.

He let out a laugh. "I take it you approve."

"Very much so."

In that moment I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but I was terrified to do so. Just because he gave me _a_ heart, didn't mean he was giving me _his_ heart.

February flew by, and March was soon approaching, as was spring break. We were all sitting at lunch, when Alice brought it up.

"Bella? What are you doing for spring break?"

"I used to go visit Renee, but that's not happening anytime soon, so I'll probably just sit at home. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I was just wondering," she said, trying to look innocent.

I wasn't fooled. She was up to something, I just didn't know what. A few days later, I found out. I had just gotten home from school, when Sue and Charlie asked me to come into the living room. I sat down next to Sue on the couch.

"What's up?"

"Well ..." Charlie began, "Esme called me earlier and asked our permission to allow you to go with them on their annual spring break trip to their cabin in Alaska."

I was a bit floored. "Really?"

"Yup. After much discussion, Sue and I decided that it was okay."

I jumped up and threw my arms around Charlie, giving him a huge hug, and then I turned to Sue and gave her one. I couldn't believe it! I was going to Alaska! After thanking them profusely, I ran upstairs to give Edward a call.

"Hey, babe!" I said when he answered.

"Hey, love. You sound like you're in a good mood."

"Totally! Charlie and Sue are letting me go to Alaska with you guys!"

"That's awesome! I can't wait! You're gonna love it up there. We have this awesome cabin near Denali National Park."

Finally, spring break arrived. Sue and Charlie sat me down that morning and gave me some money to take with me as well as a new camera. Charlie made me promise to go fishing at least once, while Sue made me promise to take lots of pictures. A few minutes before six, the Cullen clan, along with Rose, Emmett and Jasper, showed up. We were taking Emmett's Hummer to Seattle, where we would catch a flight to Fairbanks. Our flight to Fairbanks was smooth and took about four hours. Once we arrived, Carlisle rented a van, and we started toward their cabin. The cabin was located in Healy, Alaska, about two hours from Fairbanks.

I was snuggled up next to Edward in the van, staring in awe at the scenery that went by. It was beautiful. Words couldn't begin to describe it. The two hours flew by and before I knew it, we were pulling onto a gravel road. We drove for a few miles before the cabin came into view. It was stunning. It was a two-storied log cabin on a lake, with the most breathtaking view of the mountains.

"Wow! This is amazing!" I gushed.

Edward flashed me a smile. "That's Lake Otto there. And over there—" he pointed to the mountains, "is Mount Healy, and that is Mount Dora. We're about ten miles from Denali National Park."

"It's so beautiful!"

Later that night, we were gathered in the living room of the cabin. We were all a bit tired from the flight and some of us, mainly Emmett, were getting kind of cranky.

"Alright kids. Listen up," Dr. Hot began. "I'd suggest hitting the sack early tonight, because I'm taking some of you fishing in the morning. Yes, Bella. That means you."

I let out a sigh. I was already regretting my promise to Charlie.

"Now, Eleazar and Carmen have invited us over for a get together tomorrow. Sunday or Monday, we'll hit up Denali and do some hiking. Sound good?"

We all nodded. Later on, as Edward walked me to the room I was sharing with Rose, I asked him who Eleazar and Carmen were.

"My aunt and uncle. Well, not really. They've been friends with my parents since forever. So their basically family. They have two daughters, Irina and Kate, who are our age and a son, Garrett, who's a few years older than us."

I kissed Edward goodnight and climbed into my bed, falling asleep quickly. At around the butt crack of dawn, Esme woke me up. Groggily, I climbed out of bed, into the shower and dressed in warm clothes. The average temperature that time of year was around twenty-five degrees, so I had a feeling we were going to be ice fishing. I went downstairs and found Carlisle, Jasper, and Edward waiting for me. Apparently, the four of us were going fishing. I scarfed down some eggs and an English muffin, while Carlisle gathered everything we would need. I looked at the clock and noticed that it was quarter to six. Carlisle gathered us around and made sure that we were all properly dressed. Satisfied that we weren't going to freeze to death, he handed us our poles and out the door we went.

We followed him in the dark, down to the lake, where I watched in horror as he began walking across it. Did Carlisle not realize that this was me? Didn't he know that I could barely walk on solid ground, much less on ice? I opened my mouth to say something, when Edward reached out and took my hand, while Jasper took the other.

"We won't let you fall, darlin'," Jasper drawled.

I gave him a small nod, and we slowly trudged across the ice. When we got to where Carlisle was, he'd already started setting things up. He explained that he'd come out yesterday evening and set up the ice fishing hut that we'd be sitting in. We went inside and found that we could fit the four of us rather comfortably, and that there was a bench. I was eternally grateful for that. I hadn't really fancied freezing my ass off, sitting on the ice. Carlisle followed us inside and used a hand crank thingy to cut two large holes in the ice. I'd been ice fishing once with Charlie and never thought I'd be doing it again.

"Alright, kids. Let's get fishing!" he exclaimed with Alice-like enthusiasm.

I reached over and grabbed a grub to put on the hook. Jasper and Edward had shocked looks on their faces.

"What? I've been fishing with Charlie too many times to count. He made sure I knew how to bait a hook."

Half an hour later, I was ready to fall asleep. I was cold and tired and hadn't caught a damn thing. Edward handed me a thermos full of hot chocolate, and that perked me up a bit. After about an hour, I felt a tug on my line. I started to reel it in and was surprised at how heavy the damn thing seemed. With a bit of a struggle, I finally reeled the thing in. Carlisle was beside himself.

"Holy hell, Bella! That's a great catch. Looks like an Artic Grayling. Hang on a sec ... okay. Let me get your picture with that fish. Must be a seven pounder. Charlie will be so proud!"

I held the fish up and gave the camera a small smile. I was sure I looked like a mad woman. I was bundled up in an ugly old sweatshirt, a winter coat, and flannel pants. We spent the next three hours fishing, and I found that I had a good time. I learned a bit more about Jasper. He hailed from Austin, Texas, where he was raised by his mother, Maria. From what I gathered, she was a bit like Renee and didn't want the responsibility of a kid. When he was ten, he moved to Seattle to live with his grandparents. Eventually, they retired and moved to Forks, and that's when he met the Cullens.

At around nine, Carlisle determined our fishing day a success. We'd done the whole catch and release thing, and I was okay with that. I wasn't about to gut a fish. We headed in toward the shore and found the rest of the clan waiting for us. We spent the rest of the morning snacking on muffins and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I had my camera and went on a picture taking spree.

Around noon, we all piled into the van to head over to Edward's pseudo-relatives' house. A thirty minute drive later, we arrived. It was pretty impressive, but they had nothing on the Cullen house. We climbed out of the van and within seconds, Edward was being hugged by two beautiful blonds. Jealousy began to rear it's ugly head. I had to hold in a growl and clenched my fists. Edward pried himself away and held out a hand to me. I gladly took his hand, and he pulled me into his side.

"Irina. Kate. This is my wonderful girlfriend, Bella Swan. Bella, this is Irina and Kate Nessie," he said, introducing me to them.

"Hello," I told them, with a smile that might have been a bit smug.

Kate gave me a shy smile and told me hello. Irina, on the other hand, was shooting daggers at me. She gave me a fake smile and told me she was pleased to meet me. I was then introduced to Garrett and their parents. This was the second year that Emmett, Jasper, and Rose had come with, so they gave them polite smiles and said it was good to see them again. After introductions were done, the adults shooed us away, and we found ourselves in the game room. Kate, Rose, and Alice had begun talking about fashion, while the boys caught up with Garrett. That left me and Irina.

"So, Beth—" Irina began.

"Bella," I interrupted.

"Sorry," she said, not sounding sorry at all. "How did you meet Edward?"

"We go to school together."

"Huh. Have you been dating long?"

"About five months."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Hmm ... that's interesting."

I wasn't taking the bait. If she had something to say, I wished she would just say it already.

"You know, Bella," she sneered. "Edward hasn't mentioned you to me at all when we talk. And we talk a lot."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, Irina, Edward and I talk a lot as well, and he's never mentioned you to me either."

She gave me a glare, then tossed her blond hair back. "Edward and I have known each other our entire lives. We were each other's firsts, you know."

"And I care because why?" I asked in a bored tone.

"Because Edward is mine. He's been mine every summer since we were twelve. You're nothing but a distraction until the school years over. Once summer starts, he'll be up here with his family, and he'll be mine."

She really was full of herself. I gave her a smile. "You just keep thinking that, but come summer, you're going to be disappointed."

Just then Alice, Rose, and Kate came over and sat down next to us. "What'cha talking about?" Alice asked.

"Irina here was telling me that Edward is hers, and that come summer, Edward will be dumping me to be with her."

Kate let out a laugh, which seemed to piss Irina off. "Good lord, Irina. You're still pining over him. Get over it. He hasn't been interested in you for a while now."

Irina was seething. She called Kate a bitch, then stomped up the stairs. Kate shook her head at her sister's antics, then turned to me.

"Don't worry about Irina. She got it in her head that since she and Edward were each other's first kiss, that it meant they'd be together forever. It's pathetic really. Every summer for the past five years, she's spent following him around, wanting him to notice her."

"I wasn't really too worried, but thanks for letting me know," I told her.

I liked Kate. She was direct and honest, plus she wasn't lusting after my man. The boys had just finished a rousing game of fooseball and made their way over to us.

"Where's Irina?" Garrett asked.

Kate rolled her eyes at his question. "Pouting because Edward brought his girl."

Garrett let out a snicker. "Dude, she has it bad for you. You're all she's talked about for weeks."

Edward seemed a bit stunned by this revelation. "But, why? We've never dated. I mean, yeah, we kissed once when we were twelve, but that was it. We're just friends."

Garrett and Kate shrugged. Not wanting to dwell on things, Alice suggested we all play the _DVD Harry Potter Scene It _game. Since there were eight of us, we played in teams of two. Naturally, I was paired up with Edward and by the time the game was over, we had totally kicked ass. Edward was congratulating me with a kiss, when Irina came down the stairs.

"Mom and Dad say it's time to eat, so get your asses upstairs," she spat out, upon seeing Edward and I kissing.

We all trudged upstairs and out to the backyard. Dr. Hot and Mr. Nessie, were taking food off the grill, while Esme and Mrs. Nessie finished setting the tables. The food was spread out buffet style, so we got in line and loaded up our plates. I had just sat down, with Edward beside me, when Irina came and sat herself on the other side of him.

"So, Bella. How long have you been dating our boy here?" Mr. Nessie asked me, pointing his fork at Edward.

"About five months," I told him.

"I take it you like him."

I turned to look at Edward, then back at Mr. Nessie. "He's alright," I said with a shrug.

The table laughed, with the exception of Edward, who was feigning being hurt, and Irina who was scowling. Mr. Nessie turned his gaze to Edward.

"I like her. She's a keeper."

I felt myself blush, while Edward gave his uncle a grin. "Yeah, she is."

Somehow, I ended up talking with Mrs. Nessie throughout lunch. She kept asking me questions about myself, but not in a way that made me feel uncomfortable or like I was being interrogated. She was genuinely interested. I told her a bit about myself, and about how Edward and I got together. I left out all the nasty drama about James. I didn't want to burden their family with that. I was helping Mrs. Nessie clean up, when I saw Irina corner Edward. She put her hand on his arm and leaned up on her toes to whisper something in his ear. Whatever she said, didn't go over well with him. He shrugged her hand off of him and walked away without a glance. She was furious. She noticed me watching her and her eyes narrowed. I really didn't want to make another enemy. Didn't I have enough as it was?

We had just finished cleaning up, when the heavens opened up and a cold rain came pouring down. We rushed inside and got comfortable around the fireplace in the Nessie's living room. I was sitting between Edward's legs with my back against his chest, and his fingers running through my hair. We were all making small talk and listening to Emmett and Garrett tell really bad jokes, when Irina made herself known. She'd been pretty quiet the whole time we were inside, but she had been giving me evil looks the whole time.

"Edward?"

He looked over at her and she gave him a sickly sweet smile. "Is Bella, the same Bella that you were bitching about not too long ago? The one who lied to you about Victoria?"

I was stunned. She was really going to bring up something that was none of her business? Edward had briefly told me earlier that he'd talked to Irina some during our time of exile from one another. But for her to bring it up now, was completely inappropriate. Edward let out a snarl, and his body tensed as he looked at her.

"First off, I don't appreciate you bringing this up. Secondly, not that it's any of your business, but I was wrong about Bella. I was confused and angry about things. We've sorted that out. Now, I suggest you drop it," he told her in a deadly voice.

She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by her mother. "Irina. Could I have a word with you? Now!"

Irina skulked off, following her mother into the kitchen. We couldn't hear what was being said, but a few minutes later, Irina stomped up the stairs. Mrs. Nessie came back and apologized to us for her daughter's behavior. I hated when parents did that. Irina was a big girl who knew what she was doing. The evening flew by quick, and after eating dinner with the Nessies, we headed back to our cabin. We were going to meet up with them on Monday. In the car, Esme let her fury at Irina come out.

"I cannot believe her! What in the world was she thinking bringing that up? It's none of her business what happened," she ranted.

Alice piped up from the back of the van. "She's jealous of Bella, obviously. She thinks since Edward kissed her when they were twelve, that it meant they'd be together forever."

Esme rolled her eyes and muttered something about Irina being delusional. I really loved Esme. The sun was beginning to set as we arrived, so Edward and I opted to go down to the dock to watch it, despite the fact that it was freezing. Curled up in his arms was the perfect way to end my day. Granted, the kisses he placed upon my neck and lips didn't hurt either. As we sat there, watching the sun go down over the lake, he told me about Irina. I told him he didn't need to explain anything to me, but he felt like he did, so I let him talk.

"I was so confused and guilt ridden and felt I had no one to talk to. Well, that's not true. I knew I could talk to Alice, but I wanted the view of someone who wasn't directly involved. I've always thought of Irina as one of my closest friends, so it made sense to call her. I told her everything. I told her about the almost kiss that we had, about what you'd said and what'd Victoria had said, and asked for her advice."

"And what did she tell you?" I asked him in between kisses that I was placing along his jaw.

"She told me that Victoria had no reason to lie to me, and it was obvious that you were jealous. She pretty much told me what I wanted to hear at the time."

He shook his head, then pulled me away to look me in the eyes. "You'll never know how sorry I am that I didn't believe you, and that I betrayed your trust."

I cupped his cheek in my hand and pressed my lips to his. "I do know and all has been forgiven. You know that."

He leaned down to kiss me, a drugging kiss of total possession. It was amazing. He nibbled on my lower lip, then swept over it with his tongue, licking away the sting. Slowly, we pulled apart, both needing to breath. I rested my head against his chest, feeling his heart race. I knew mine was the same. I loved the way he made me feel.

"Bella."

"Hmm ..."

"Look up."

I did. And that's when I saw them. The Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. I felt like I was suspended in time. It was breathtaking. I'd never seen anything like it. Amazing hues of blues and greens danced across the sky.

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

"Not as beautiful as you."

I let out a snort, then hit him on the chest lightly. "Don't ruin this awesome moment with your cheesiness."

We sat there for a while, getting lost in the magic of it all.

"You know, the name Aurora Borealis comes from the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Borealis," he began, breaking the spell.

As much as I loved him, I didn't want to hear the mechanics of how the Northern Lights worked. I just wanted to bask in its awesomeness. I pressed my finger to his lip, shaking my head, but the spell was broken.

"Sorry, love," he said, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. "We should probably head in. We've got a big day tomorrow."

Reluctantly, I let him pull me up. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around his waist and give him a hard hug.

"Thanks for showing me this."

He gave me a beautiful smile. "I'm glad I got to share it with you."

We walked hand in hand inside, and found Esme and Carlisle cuddling on the couch. They looked up as we entered.

"Did you enjoy the Northern Lights, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"They're amazing!" I gushed. "I've never seen anything like them before!"

A few minutes more of chitchat, then Edward and I said goodnight to his parents. We climbed the stairs and stopped at the door to my room.

"Goodnight, my sweet girl."

"Goodnight, my Edward," I said, then blushed at the cheesiness of my words. He didn't seem to mind, if the kiss he gave me was anything to go by. When we parted, our breath was ragged, and he leaned his head against mine.

"That's the first time you've called me that. I like it," he murmured softly.

"Well, it's true. I think of you as mine."

"I am yours. Just as you're mine. Never doubt that."

After another breathtaking kiss, we said goodnight. I opened the door to my room and was more than a bit horrified to find Emmett and Rose in her bed. Covering my eyes with one hand, I stumbled blindly toward the bathroom, grabbing my pajamas along the way. I changed and brushed my teeth, then covered my eyes again, stumbling toward my bed. I climbed in and pulled the covers over my head, in an attempt to muffle the sounds coming from Rose's bed. They weren't being overly loud, but there was the occasional moan that had me shuddering. Then Emmett started with the dirty talk, and I couldn't take it any more.

"Out!" I yelled at them, from under my covers. "If you want to get busy, go somewhere else and do it! I'm trying to sleep!"

I heard some grumbling, then Emmett's voice. "You're ruining the moment here, Miss Prude."

I flung the covers back, and immediately wished I hadn't. The room was dark, but I could still make out Emmett's nude form. Quickly, I threw the covers back over my head.

"Just because I don't want to listen to you get it on, doesn't make me a prude! Now leave or else I'm gonna go get Esme," I threatened.

I heard Emmett gasp. "Don't you dare go get Mama C. If she knew I was in here, she'd ban me from being alone with Rosie again."

I raised an eyebrow at that revelation. "So, you've been busted before, huh?"

"Yeah," he said in a sad voice. "Last summer when we were on Isle Esme. Mama C wouldn't let me and Rosie be alone for a month. Every time we tried to sneak off, she'd find us. The woman has a built in radar."

I let out a snort. I had no doubt that Esme had built in radar where Emmett was concerned. Then I thought about what he said.

"What is Isle Esme?"

Rose answered me before Emmett could. "It's this island that Carlisle bought Esme for their anniversary a few years ago."

"No fucking way! He bought her an island! Who the fuck buys someone an island?"

"Carlisle apparently."

"Wow. That's nuts."

"It's awesome!" Emmett boomed out. "Maybe you can go with us this summer."

"Maybe," I said. Then an awful thought occurred to me. I'd been conversing with Emmett while he was naked. "Emmett, please, please, please, tell me that you've had clothes on this whole time we've been talking."

I could practically hear his smirk. "Hell, no! I'm as naked as the day I was born. Want to take a look?"

"No!" I shouted at him.

All of a sudden, I felt someone jumping on my bed. _ Oh, my God!_ Emmett was bouncing on my bed naked. Fear of being flashed entered my mind, and I wrapped the blankets around me as tightly as I could. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, I felt Emmett climb onto my bed and wrap his body around mine.

"Aaah!" I screamed, as I felt his body next to mine. I was going to be scarred for life, of that I had no doubt. I could hear Rose and Emmett laughing at me, but I was too disturbed to be annoyed.

"Emmett! What the fuck are you doing to my girlfriend?" I heard Edward roar, as the door to my room opened. "And where the hell are your boxers?"

Emmett let out a laugh and rolled off the bed. "Chill dude. I was just messing around with her."

I tried to stop the giggle, but it erupted out of me as I heard him say that. Edward, however, didn't find it funny at all.

"You were doing what with my Bella?"

Emmett stopped and thought about what he'd said, then busted out laughing. "Not like that dude! I was just goofing off."

"More like scarring me for life," I said from the safety of my covers.

I heard Edward throw something to Emmett and heard the rustling of cloth over skin. I was still afraid to come out, so I kept myself buried.

"It's safe to come out now," Edward told me softly, sitting near me on my bed. Slowly, I picked my head out from under my covers and saw Emmett sitting on Rose's bed, sexy beast boxers on. Throwing myself at him, I buried my face in his warm shirtless chest, inhaling the scent that was Edward.

"Thank you for saving me."

He let out a little chuckle. "Anything for you."

The next morning, Esme woke us up and made breakfast for us. We were going to be going on a discovery hike through Denali. Carlisle explained that we would be hiking off trail with a Denali Park Ranger that he'd known for years.

"Now before we head out, I have a list of rules that I want to cover. First off, make sure that you bring layers with you. The weather can change. I realize that it's cold out, but bring some extra layers just in case. Esme and I have made sure that everyone has plenty of water with them. Since this will be Jasper and Bella's first time out there, we're going to be doing a moderate trek. We'll encounter some rivers, rocks, brush, and muddy grounds. Esme and I have packed your backpacks for the most part. Look through them and add whatever you need too."

I took my bag from Esme and looked through it. She'd packed water, rations, a blanket, thick socks, and various other items. I ran upstairs to my room and grabbed an extra sweatshirt and my camera. I was a bit apprehensive about this whole hiking thing, but the Cullens didn't seemed too worried. Esme had bought me a pair of nice hiking boots, which I put on, then she handed me a pair of trekking poles. I could just picture myself tripping and impaling myself with these things.

Once everyone was ready, we climbed into the van and drove to the Wilderness Access Center, where we met up with our guide. His name was Nahuel Huilen, and he and Carlisle had gone to college together. He was originally from Chile, but came to Alaska for college, and fell in love with its natural beauty. From what Nahuel told us, most discovery hikes took place in the summer, but he was more than willing to take us out. He told us that we'd be driving for about an hour, hike for about five, then have an hour ride back. I was pretty excited, despite my fear of hiking.

On our hour long drive to our destination, Emmett felt the need to inform Nahuel all about my inability to walk without tripping.

"Don't worry, Emmett. We'll keep an eye on her. I'm pretty sure she'll do just fine," Nahuel said, giving me a smile in the rear view mirror.

A little over an hour later, we arrived at our destination. We all grabbed our bags and trekking poles, and followed our fearless leader into the Alaskan wilderness. _Well, not really._ He gathered us around in a circle and explained our route and what we would see along the way. He told us that we'd be exploring high tundra meadows, tumbling mountain streams, and a beautiful alpine lake. Once that was done, we started hiking. He told us to stay a little ways apart from one another, to avoid forming a trail in the ground. I was terrified to be too far away from Edward, so I walked a little ways behind him and to the right.

The first part of our hike took us through some thick brush, which caused me to stumble and almost fall, more than a few times. I was determined to make it through this trip without killing myself or breaking anything. When we reached a tundra like area, I was ever so grateful. We stopped to take pictures and bask in what mother nature had provided us. I was doing pretty well on our hike until we came to the gravel bar. The gravel bar was a wide area made up of uneven rocks, and the place where I took my first and only spill of the trip. I went down with an oomph, and was more than embarrassed. Dr. Hot rushed over, as well as Nahuel, to make sure I was okay, and I assured them I was.

"I'm fine. My pride's a bit bruised, but I'm okay. I was really hoping to go the whole trip without falling," I said on a sigh.

"You've done really well," Nahuel told me, making me feel a bit better about myself.

Six hours, a few stumbles, one fall, and a bruised pride later, we arrived back at the bus. The day had been a wonderful success. It had been freaking cold, but totally worth it. I had so many pictures that I'd had to switch out memory cards halfway through the hike. I was excited to get back to the cabin and look at all of them.

The rest of our vacation flew by. We met up with the Nessies again, and despite Irina's pathetic behavior, we all had a good time. Saturday morning, we loaded up the van with our stuff, said goodbye to the Nessies, and drove to the airport. I was sad to be leaving Alaska. I'd had a wonderful time. But at least I was leaving with some wonderful memories that would be with me forever. Five hours later, we were landing on the tarmac in Seattle. The Cullens dropped me off at home, and I told them that I'd see them on Monday.

"Dad! Sue! I'm home!" I called, as I came in the door.

"What about me? Am I not a member of this family?" Seth asked me from his perch on the couch.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about you. Sorry, dude."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Whatevs, sis."

"If you're gonna be like that, I won't give you your present."

His eyes lit up. "You bought me a present? Give me!"

I laughed at his exuberance as I tossed him a small package from my bag. I'd found a handmade leather bracelet that I thought he would like.

"Suh-weet. This is awesome. Thanks, Bells."

Sue and Charlie came in from the kitchen and each gave me a hug, asking me about my trip. I spent the rest of the night showing them the three hundred and fifteen pictures that I'd taken, and regaling them with stories of my trip. By the time eight rolled around, I was exhausted, and excused myself to go to bed. I sent Edward a text saying goodnight, then texted Angela and Ben letting them know I was back. We made plans to get together the next day, and I was excited to tell them all about my trip. I climbed into bed and was out the minute my head hit the pillow.

At around two am, I awoke from a rather graphic dream involving myself and Edward. We'd been alone at the cabin, laying by the fire. I struggled to remember all of the dream, but all I could remember were flashes. I quickly closed my eyes, in the hopes of falling back into the dream, but it deluded me. I woke again around nine and decided to get up, and get ready for my day with Angela and Ben.


	28. I Had The Time Of My Life

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I just like to play with the characters.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! And of course Ms. Chylex28, thanks for everything. Lots of stuff is happening in this chapter, so I guess I should let you go read it. While you're doing that, I'll go start on Chapter 29.

* * *

Now I've had the time of my life  
No I never felt like this before  
Yes I swear it's the truth  
and I owe it all to you  
'Cause I've had the time of my life  
and I owe it all to you

I've been waiting for so long  
Now I've finally found someone  
To stand by me  
We saw the writing on the wall  
As we felt this magical  
Fantasy

"I Had The Time Of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

* * *

Surviving High School

Sunday afternoon, I grabbed my camera and bag o' goodies, and headed off to Angela's to meet up with her and Ben. It had been a week since I'd seen them, and I felt bad about that. I truly was a horrible friend. I'd been so caught up in Edward and hanging with the Cullens, that I hadn't made time for my best friends. Angela pulled me into a tight hug, after answering the door, and I returned it.

"I've missed you!" she exclaimed, holding onto me for a minute.

"I've missed you, too!" I told her.

I stepped inside and was immediately wrapped up in a hug by Ben. After returning his hug, we sat down on the couch. I pulled the gifts I'd gotten them, out of my bag, and handed them over. I'd gotten Ben a leather bracelet, much like the one I'd gotten Seth. It was manly enough, and Ben seemed to like it. For Angela, I'd bought a beautiful throw blanket handmade by a Native American woman. It was beautiful, and Angela thanked me profusely upon seeing it.

"Alright, Miss Bella. Picture time," Ben said.

Angela had set her laptop up on the coffee table, and I inserted the memory card. The next two hours were spent looking at pictures, with me telling the story behind each one.

"Oh, Bella! What a cute picture!" Angela squealed upon seeing a picture of me and Edward that Esme had taken. We were standing on the dock at the cabin, the lake and the mountains behind us. Even I had to admit, it was a great picture. Edward was standing behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist, while I leaned against him. I'd printed off a copy of the picture and had put it in a frame that rested on my bedside table. There were still times, when I couldn't believe that Edward was mine.

After removing the memory card, I turned to Angela and Ben and asked them what they'd done over break.

"Well, I went and visited my mom," Ben told me quietly. I reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. I knew how hard that must have been for him. "It was surreal. Seeing her like that, well... there were more than a few tears," he said.

"Oh, Ben. I'm sorry you have to see her like that."

He nodded, then changed the subject, talking about the fact that he couldn't believe that I'd gone hiking and hadn't fallen off a cliff or hurt myself. We talked and hung out till quarter to nine, when both Ben and I had to head home. I gave them both a hug and told them I'd see them tomorrow.

* * *

March quickly turned into April, which in turn quickly became May. There had been a few James sightings, but nothing substantial. Unfortunately, Charlie ended up having to pull the few men he'd had working on the case due to some hikers who'd been found murdered in the woods near La Push. The town was in a dither about it. Murders were reserved for the likes of the big city, not small town life. A few days after the bodies had been found, the whole school was talking about it.

"I can't believe that two people got murdered! That's like crazy! This is Forks for crying out loud!"

"My mom won't let me go out after dark now. She's terrified that I'm going to be murdered walking down the street."

Charlie had gone into over-protective cop mode and refused to let me, Seth, or Sue go anywhere by ourselves. I knew that he was just looking out for us, but these murders had really put him on edge. From what I'd overheard him saying, the bodies had been found badly mutilated, ripped apart, and drained of blood. Maybe Mike's sparkly vampires had done it. I was sitting in English class, paired up with Mike for a writing exercise, when he brought up the murders.

"Does your dad know anything more about the couple that was found?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "No idea. He's being pretty tight lipped about the whole thing. I do know that he's really upset by it though. It's only the second murder case he's ever worked, so he's stressing a bit."

"What if it's a serial killer? That would be so fucking creepy!"

"You think?"

"Yeah, but how cool would it be if it was, and then your dad caught him! Dude, your dad would be famous!"

I rolled my eyes at his enthusiasm. "Yeah, I don't think it's a serial killer, Mike. Even if it was, I don't think catching him or her, would make Charlie famous."

Mike was upset at my lack of enthusiasm regarding serial killers. Even though we were on friendly terms again, I was still a bit weary around him. Jessica was still being a bitch, but I couldn't have cared less. Though I admit that it was nice to have Mike covering my back in gym class again.

Edward met me outside of the gym and we walked together to the cafeteria, my hand tucked securely in his. We were halfway to the cafeteria, when he stopped, tugging me around so I was facing him.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh... will you go to prom with me?"

I knew that prom was coming up in a few weeks, but I hadn't thought much of it. Edward looked a bit nervous, and kept running his hands through his hair. I couldn't figure out why he would be nervous though. It's not like we weren't dating.

"Of course I will."

"Oh, thank God," he said, with a hint of relief in his voice.

"Did you honestly think I'd say no?"

"Well, uh... I wasn't sure if you would say yes. I know that you aren't big on dances and prom is a pretty big deal."

I slid my arms around his neck and leaned up on my tip toes to press a kiss to his lips. "Before you, I had no desire to go to a dance. And while dances aren't my favorite thing, there's nothing I'd love more, than to attend prom with you."

His smile was radiant. His lips lowered against mine, his tongue licking the seam of my lips until they parted, and my tongue came out to play with his. The kiss was hot and passionate, and he let out a low moan. Reluctantly, our lips parted, our breathing heavy. I had no idea that agreeing to go to a dance with him would inspire that sort of reaction, but I was more than happy to receive it. We headed inside and found the occupants of our table discussing prom. Or more accurately, Alice discussing prom, not letting anyone else get a word in. Upon seeing us, Alice began bouncing in her seat.

"Uh oh. Who gave her sugar?" I asked, focusing my gaze on Jasper.

Jasper held up his hands and told me he was completely innocent. Alice stopped bouncing long enough to stick her tongue out at me and give me a glare.

"No one gave me any sugar. I'm just super excited! We have three weeks till prom! There's so much to do! We have to get dresses, tuxes, flowers, a limo, and coordinate everything! Plus, I've got to get the decorations for the dance."

"Oh, are you on the prom committee?" I asked her.

She gave me a look that implied that I was stupid. "Bella, I _am_ the prom committee."

"So what's this years theme?"

"Midnight sun."

"What the fuck is that?" I asked.

Alice began a long, complicated explanation of what midnight sun was, without ever actually telling us what it was. Instead, she went on to tell us all about the decorations and color scheme, which was going to be ice like with colors of the sun. Knowing that I wasn't going to get an actual answer from her, I turned to Edward.

"Midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months near the Artic Circle, or north of the Antartic Circle, where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. If the weather is right, the sun is visible for a continuous twenty-four hours," Edward explained to the table.

"Cool. I'd love to see that," I told him.

"One day, love, one day."

I had pretty much tuned out the conversations around us, focusing on Edward, until I heard Emmett mention something about a hotel.

"Can't forget the hotel. We've gotta have somewhere to get our groove on," Emmett said with a wink and began gyrating.

"Or you could save yourself some cash and get your groove on in the limo," Ben suggested.

I reached over and smacked him upside the head, the same time as Angela, while Rose sent him a death glare. "Ben Chaney! Do not give him ideas!" Rose yelled.

But it was too late. Emmett had this look on his face, like he was imagining all the ways he could get his groove on in the limo.

"I'm so not riding in the same limo as Emmett," Edward said with a look of disgust on his face. I agreed with him. There were some things in this life that no person should ever have to _see_, and having already _heard _Emmett getting his groove on was enough for me.

"There will be no getting it on in the limo!" Alice told Emmett sternly. "Now, as I was saying, we have a lot to do. Bella, Angela, Rose. We need to find a time to head into Seattle to buy our dresses. Boys, you need to get your tuxes, but you have to wait until we get our dresses so you can have matching cummerbunds."

Emmett let out a snicker. "She said cum."

"Emmett!" we all roared at him, except Ben, who was laughing along with Emmett.

Eventually, we got back to the topic at hand and decided that us ladies would head to Seattle on Saturday to pick out dresses. I wasn't really looking forward to that part of prom, but I couldn't wait to see Edward in a tux. Just thinking about Edward in a tux, caused all sorts of funny things to happen to my insides.

All too soon, Saturday rolled around, and I found myself, along with Alice, Angela, and Rose, being driven to Seattle by Esme. She thought of us as her girls, and wanted to join us on our shopping endeavor. Upon arrival at the mall, we headed toward Macy's and started our dress shopping. I feared that we would be in there forever, and that I would never find a dress, but I was wrong. I found my dress almost immediately. It was gorgeous. I found my size, grabbed it off the rack, and headed toward the dressing room before anyone could stop me. I quickly put the dress on, and found myself in love with it.

"Bella!"

"What?" I hollered out to Alice.

"Are you going to let us see what you're trying on?"

"Give me a sec."

Twirling in front of the mirror once more, I opened the door, and was met with gasps.

"Oh, Bella dear. It's stunning!" Esme gushed.

The others agreed with her, and I admit that I felt a bit like a princess in it. The only thing that I was worried about, was that it was strapless. Other than that, it was perfect. There was no doubt in my mind. The dress was turquoise, tight at the top, being strapless, and the skirt was long and flowing. It was decorated with a cluster of silver flowers detailed across the entire bust line, tightly intertwined with an intricate web of silver vines and leaves. Just below the bust line, the flower detailing gently narrowed into a stream that trickled down the left of the bodice, just off center, toward the hips. At the hips, the flowers flowed loosely, as if lazily stretching, both across and down, toward the edge of the right hip. The flowers on the left side of the skirt cascaded even further, just passed mid calf. A few sequins were sprinkled here and there, on or around the flowers, vines and leaves, giving it just a touch more of whimsy. I was absolutely in love with it. I knew that it had to be super expensive, but I didn't care. For once, I was willing to spend money on a dress. Hours later, everyone had their dresses and accessories. Alice had sent texts to our boys, letting them know the color of our dresses. Apparently, Carlisle was going to be taking the boys to get their tuxes later in the week.

I spent the ride home trying to stay awake. Where as shopping seemed to wear me out, it only seemed to energize Alice even more. Angela, Rose, and I were going to be sleeping over at the Cullens, and I was more than anxious to get back and see my Edward. It was pathetic. Ever since we got back from Alaska, being away from him, if only for a few hours, was hard. I had made up my mind to tell him that I loved him by the time prom rolled around. I was fairly confident that he loved me as well, but it was still nerve wracking to be the one to say it first. But I was going to.

At the Cullen house, we grabbed our purchases and hung them in Alice's closet, before changing into pajamas and getting comfortable. We were sprawled out in Alice's room, where she deemed tonight a no boy zone. I was saddened by this. Alice noticed my pout and informed me that since the rest of the girls were without their boys for the night, I could suffer with them. Covertly, I sent Edward a text, telling him to meet me downstairs in the kitchen. I told Alice I was thirsty and excused myself to get something to drink. Entering the kitchen, I found my man resting against the counter. He had pajama pants on, that hung deliciously low on his hips. His t-shirt was thin and well worn, letting me catch a glimpse of the wonderful abs that I knew lay beneath. My, he was delicious. He held out his arms when he saw me, and I immediately went into them.

"Hello, gorgeous," he said softly in a velvet voice.

"Hello there yourself, handsome. I missed you today."

"I missed you, too."

And that was all that needed to be said. Grabbing my hand, he lead me outside onto the patio. Sitting down on one of the benches, he pulled me into his lap. I turned so I was straddling him, and brushed my lips against his. The kiss flamed and grew hotter. I felt like I was on fire. The taste of him infused my senses, and our kiss seemed to grow hungrier. He dragged his lips away from mine, and found purchase on the flesh of my neck. He licked and nipped, tasting me, causing me to groan and grind against the hardness I felt rising from him. He let out a low groan, pulling me closer to him, rocking up against me. One of his hands gripped my waist, while the other moved under my shirt. He was kissing my neck, using his tongue to lick my throat and nibble along my collarbone. He slid his hand over my breast, his thumb gliding over my nipple, and I couldn't hold back the moan of pleasure that escaped from my lips. My hands gripped his hair, pulling his mouth down toward my chest.

"Bella!" Alice called out, interrupting us. We both let out moans of disappointment. "I know you're out there with Edward. What part of no boys did you not get? Now get in here!" she yelled, before slamming the door shut.

Knowing that she was probably waiting right inside the door, I climbed off Edward's lap. He gave me a quick kiss, before leading me inside. Sure enough, Alice was standing inside, scowling and tapping her foot. Oh boy, I was in for it now. Giving Edward an evil glare, she grabbed my arm and yanked me up the stairs to her room.

"I found her," she told Angela and Rose, after we entered the room.

"How was that drink?" Angela asked me with a smirk.

"Absolutely delicious. I could've kept drinking all night."

"I'm sure you could have," she replied.

"I'm disappointed in you, Bella," Alice began.

"Oh, please. If Jasper had been around, and I'd declared tonight a no boy zone, you would've found a way to be with him. Don't even try to deny it."

She let out a huff, but I noticed that she didn't refute what I'd said. She decided that since I'd broken the rules, that I wasn't allowed to see Edward tomorrow. I rolled my eyes at her statement. Sadly, when Sunday rolled around, I saw very little of him. Carlisle had decided to have a father-son outing, which I suspect that Alice had a hand in.

* * *

The next two weeks flew by, and before I knew it, it was the week of prom. It seemed the whole school was excited about it. Even I was a bit excited. Not so much about the dance itself, but more about dancing with Edward and seeing him in his tux. So far, I hadn't worked up the nerve to tell him I loved him. I'd said it silently a thousand times, but I really wanted him to know. Of course, there was the fear that he didn't feel the same way, and it was eating away at my brain. So here we were on Wednesday, suffering through a rather boring biology video about the mating cycle of the mayfly...or something like that. I wasn't paying much attention to it, but more to the boy beside me. His left hand was holding mine, while his right hand was doodling away in his notebook. He really did have nice hands. Strong, sexy hands, with nice long fingers. Oh, yeah. I liked his hands.

"Bella?" Edward asked.

"Hmmm?"

"Where did you go?"

"What?" I asked him confused.

"I was asking you if you wanted to come over after school, but you seemed to have spaced out."

"Of course I want to come over. Like you need to even ask."

He flashed me that panty-dropping smile. "Great!"

Finally, school was over, and I met Edward at his locker. We walked to the mom-mobile and headed off to his house. Thirty minutes later, we were laying on his bed, listening to music with the door open. We'd gotten busted by Dr. Hot two weeks ago, while we were going at it hot and heavy, and since then, an open door policy had been put into effect. Just thinking about it made me cringe.

_I was laying on Edward's bed, he was next to me, propped up on his side. His lips were busy plying my neck with kisses, running his tongue along my collarbone. Shivers erupted over my body, and I loved the feelings that he was causing in me. The hand that had been resting on my stomach, began a slow ascent up, toward my breasts. His fingers traced the edge of my bra, before delving under. Gently, he tugged my bra up, freeing my breast for him to play with. I had just let out a long moan, when the door to his room opened._

_"Edward, your mother wanted to know—" Dr. Hot stopped, mid-sentence. Edward quickly removed his hand from under my shirt, but the damage was done. I buried my face in his shoulder, because there was no way I could face Dr. Hot now. There was a long awkward pause before Dr. Hot spoke again._

_"Uh...well, your mother wanted to know what you wanted for dinner. I'll just tell her you'll be down in a few minutes," he said, walking out the door. "Oh, and kids? This door is to remain open from now on."_

_Edward flopped onto his back on the bed, hands over his face, while my face was still buried in his shirt. I knew my face was bright red, and I had no idea how I was going to face Dr. Hot ever again. I don't think I'd ever been so embarrassed in my life._

"Wha'tcha thinking about, babe?" a velvet voice asked me, shaking me out of my reverie.

"Two weeks ago, when we got busted by your dad."

Edward let out a shudder. "Yeah, that totally sucked. Honestly, though, I was surprised we managed to get away with having the door shut for so long. Alice got busted with Jasper within a week of them dating, and Mom enforced the no closed door policy," he said with a snicker.

Despite the fact that the door was open, we still manged to get in some hot kisses and a few gropes. Edward's hands were running all over my body, caressing me, and I was delighting in the reactions that he was provoking. I had my hands in his hair, running my fingers through the thick tresses, tugging on them once in a while. He let out a moan, rubbing his head further into my hand.

"I love it when you play with my hair," he told me quietly.

"Hmmm. I love playing with your hair."

He pulled away from me slightly, and sat up, a serious expression on his face. He took my hand in his, and tugged me till I was sitting up next to him.

"Bella. There's something I need to tell you."

I felt a flutter of panic, and my breathing sped up. Oh, God. He was breaking up with me. I must have said the last part out loud, because he was quick to correct me.

"No! No! I'm not breaking up with you! Ever! I love you!" he exclaimed.

Holy shit. I was stunned. He loved me! Edward Anthony Cullen loved me. Little ole me. I couldn't breath.

"Bella! Please say something!" he begged me.

Words couldn't describe what I was feeling. I threw myself into his arms, pressing kisses everywhere my lips could reach.

"I love you, too."

He crushed me to him, holding me tight. His lips crashed down on mine. His lips and tongue caressed mine, causing my heart to race. Blood thundered through my veins as his lips rubbed against mine, his tongue pumping into my mouth, stroking against my tongue, sparring with it. It was pure pleasure. Slowly, he pulled his mouth away from mine. His forehead rested against mine, his green eyes sparkling.

"I was so worried that you wouldn't feel the same," he whispered.

"Silly boy. I've been in love with you forever. I'd actually decided that I was going to tell you before prom, but hadn't worked up the nerve to do it yet," I told him softly. "I was hoping you felt the same as me, especially after you gave me the heart charm."

He smiled and pressed a kiss to my lips again. "I was hoping you'd understand what I couldn't say out loud at the time. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that it seems like we're too young to think about those things, but it's the truth."

The intensity on his face kind of scared me, but at the same time, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him as well.

"Oh, Edward. I want to spend forever with you. So much so, that it scares me."

We spent the rest of the evening cuddling, and saying I love yous, before we were interrupted by Alice. She came in and jumped up on Edward's bed, hugging both of us.

"I'm so happy for both of you!" she squealed. "I just knew that today was the day!"

Sometimes, Alice mystified me. She then proceeded to tell me all about how she and Jasper had declared their love for one another. Hell, she even alluded to how they celebrated finding out they were in love with each other. Edward quickly put a stop to that, by attempting to smother her with his pillow.

Friday had to be the longest Friday in the history of the world. Angela, Rose, and I were gathering at the Cullen house to get ready for the big night. All of our parents were going to be there, so that they could get pictures of all of us. Finally, the day came to an end. I was super excited. By five, the four of us were dressed, with makeup and hair done. And I must say, we looked good. Esme hollered up to us that the boys were downstairs waiting for us, so we headed to the living room. I was wearing heels for the evening, so I clung to the hand railing going down the stairs. It wouldn't do to fall and spend prom night in the hospital. Although, if that did happen I could spend prom with Dr. Hot. I reached the bottom and followed the girls into the living room, where my breath was taken away from me. There, looking like Adonis, was my man. He looked scrumptious in a black tux, with his turquoise cummerbund. His face lit up upon seeing me.

"Bella, love, you are stunning."

I blushed at the compliment. "Thank you. You look awfully handsome tonight."

He then put a beautiful turquoise and silver corsage on my wrist that matched the one in his lapel. Once compliments and pleasantries were given out, the picture taking commenced. We easily spent forty minutes having our pictures taken by our parents. Charlie even teared up a bit. He pulled me into a tight hug, told me how beautiful I looked, and that he couldn't believe that his baby girl was growing up.

Our parents had all pitched in to get us a limo. I felt it was a bit silly to take a limo to prom, since prom was being held at the Moose Lodge, but who was I to argue. We climbed into the limo after saying goodbye to our parents, and headed to the lodge. Lots of students were hanging around outside when we pulled up. Edward got out before me, and held his hand out for me to take. I felt like a princess on her way to the ball. Holding hands, we walked inside and I was stunned. Alice had a done a wonderful job decorating the place. I could see midnight sun written all over it.

We got our pictures taken after we walked in, then we headed toward our table. There were glasses of sparkling cider on the table, and food was being served. Terrified that I was going to spill something on my dress, I took my napkin and tucked it around my bodice. Ben thought it was hilarious and took a few pictures of me. I didn't care how dumb I looked. There was no way I was ruining my dress.

The music started and the dancing began. There were fast songs, slow songs, and songs that I couldn't figure out how you were supposed to dance to. Edward and I had a great time. Words of love were exchanged multiple times throughout the night, and each time he said I love you, I found myself falling more and more in love with him. In a way, I wished that the night wouldn't end. I loved being in his arms, enjoying the romance of it all. Once the dance was done, Emmett and Rose were crowned Prom King and Queen, which was no surprise to anyone. We decided to head to the diner in all our finery and get burgers to eat, then we'd all head back to the Cullen house to have our very own after-party. We met up with some other students at the diner, where all anyone was talking about was the dance.

"Alice, you did a fantastic job!" someone yelled across the room.

"Awesome dance!" someone else yelled.

Alice was in her element. She'd invited a few people back to her house for the party, but for the most part, it was going to be the eight of us. After dinner, we headed to the Cullen house with some kids following our limo. Esme had decorated the living room and set out pop and punch for the kids to drink. Music was playing off the iHome, everyone kicked off their shoes, and the after-party began. At around one, people started to head home, and by two, everyone was gone except for the eight of us. Us girls went to Alice's room and changed into our pajamas, agreeing to meet the boys in the den.

In the den, I noticed that Edward had commandeered the love sac. I climbed onto it, and snuggled up against him. His arm around my shoulder, my head on his chest. Emmett had thrown in one of the _Resident Evil_ movies, which I hated. I was so over the zombie thing. Snuggled up with Edward, I told him quietly how I was glad that we were just hanging out here, and not at some sleazy motel somewhere. He laughed. I really hadn't wanted to be one of those girls who lost their virginity on prom night in a motel room shared with four other people. Edward and I had come to the agreement that we would have sex when it felt right for both of us.

* * *

Before we knew it, the end of the school year was fast approaching. Finals had just begun, and they had made everyone bitchy. Edward was stressing over his math final, while I was stressing over biology. Instead of letting Edward do all the work, or staring at him, I should have been paying attention. We were studying at his house in the living room, when we got into a argument.

"Edward?"

"What?"

"Could you please stop clicking your pen. It's driving me nuts."

"Yeah. Sorry."

And peace reigned for about five minutes, until I heard the clicking of his pen again. It was slowly driving me insane. I was stressed enough trying to understand all this biology crap, and the clicking of his pen was not helping me. I reached over and yanked the pen out of his hand.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, his head shooting up. "I need that."

"Use a pencil. I told you that the clicking was annoying me," I huffed at him.

Scowling, he reached over and took the pencil that was next to my notebook. I was ready to snap on his ass, but decided it wasn't worth it. I grabbed another pencil out of my pack and went back to studying. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him unwrap a piece of gum and put it in his mouth. A few seconds later, he began chewing away like a cow chewing on cud. What the fuck? I gritted my teeth, trying to keep quiet, but I couldn't take it anymore. Grabbing my stuff, I stomped upstairs and went to his room, shutting the door behind me. Turning his iHome on, I got myself settled at his desk, and got into study mode. No more than five minutes later, the door to his room slams open.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Edward scowled at me.

"Oh, I don't know. How about the fact that I'm trying to study, and you're down there being noisy as hell," I replied in anger.

"Well, excuse me," he said sarcastically.

"No. There's no excuse. You know I hate it when you click away on your pen and there was no need to be chewing so loudly."

"Give me a fucking break. I like to click my pen when I'm studying. You know this. And I wasn't chewing that loudly. You just want to pick a fight, don't you?"

"No. What I want to do is study without you annoying me!" I shouted at him.

"Fine. Why don't you just leave then?"

"Fine! I will," I shouted, cramming my stuff into my bag, and heading downstairs. Of course once I got down there, I realized that Edward had driven me and I had no way to get home. I found Dr. Hot in the kitchen and asked him if he would give me a ride home.

"Sure, Bella. Is everything okay?"

"Edward's being a jerk," was my reply.

The ride home was quiet, and I was starting to regret my behavior.

"Thanks for the ride, Carlisle."

"Anytime, Bella. I'm sorry Edward's being difficult."

I let out a sigh. "It's not entirely his fault. I'm sure I was being difficult too. I think we're stressed because of finals."

"I think you're right."

"I suppose I should call him and apologize, huh?"

Carlisle gave me a fatherly smile. "If not, I'm sure he'll call you and apologize."

I thanked him again for the ride, then headed inside. Sure enough, five minutes later, my phone rang.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," came Edward's warm voice through the phone.

"I'm sorry, too."

"I think the stress of finals is getting to us."

"I agree. Thankfully, they'll be over this week and then we've got all summer to have fun."

"Thank God. Did you need help studying for biology?"

"Yeah."

Edward spent the next hour explaining biology stuff to me. The next day, finals began. I was confident that I'd passed everything, but was worried that I wasn't going to maintain my 4.0 thanks to biology. I'd tried hard to remember everything that Edward had taught me, but when it came down to it, I think I made up half the answers. When finals ended on Friday, there was a collective sigh throughout the whole school. We cleaned out our lockers, threw away old papers, handed in books, and then we were free for two and a half months. Sweet, sweet freedom.

"We're free!" I hollered, as Edward scooped me up in his arms and swung me around in the parking lot. He planted a hot, passionate kiss on my lips, then pulled away.

"Just think, love. We've got all summer to do whatever we want."

"Not exactly. I told Charlie that I'd find a job this summer so I can start saving for college."

Mike overheard me and informed me that his parents were looking for a part-time cashier at their outdoor goods store. It wasn't exactly my ideal job, but it was better than nothing. I told Mike that I'd stop by and get an application the following week. Saturday and Sunday were spent going to graduation parties and celebrating school being over. Monday, I headed out to Newton's Sporting Goods and filled out the application. Within minutes, Mrs. Newton hired me. She told me that she needed someone to work in the mornings, Monday through Friday, from nine to one. That worked for me. Except for the whole getting up early thing. I wasn't looking forward to that, but at least I'd be done by one and could spent the rest of my afternoons with Edward.

I had just stepped outside of the store, when I heard a noise to my right. I looked over, but didn't see anything. Shrugging it off, I headed across the parking lot toward Chuck. I was in the midst of unlocking the car door, when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My hands began to shake as I struggled to unlock Chuck, but I couldn't get the key to turn in the lock. I felt a hand grip my shoulder. I whirled around, ready to attack.

"Everything okay, Bella?" Mr. Newton asked me.

I sagged in relief. It was just Mike's dad. I let out a sigh and told him that I was fine. Just having trouble with my key. I finally got the key to unlock Chuck and headed toward the Cullen house. I'd told Edward that I would stop by after filling out the application. I was on the logging road that headed toward his house, when Chuck started to make a weird noise. I watched as the speedometer started to slowly drop, until Chuck came to a stop. I had managed to pull over to the side of the road. Poor Chuck. He'd always been so reliable, so I couldn't imagine what was wrong with him. I reached for my phone that I'd put in my pocket, only to find it wasn't there. What the hell? Where the fuck was it? I searched the front seat and patted my pockets down, until I remembered that I'd set it down on the counter at Newton's when I was filling out my application. I thumped my head against the steering wheel. I didn't know what to do. The road I was on didn't have a lot of traffic, so I could be waiting for hours before someone drove by. But I also knew that it was better to stay with Chuck, than to walk down the road alone. So I sat. And waited.

Thirty minutes later, a car pulled up behind mine. It was a dark sedan with tinted windows, and I knew even before the hairs on my neck stood up, that it was James. I looked around the cab of the truck, trying to find a weapon of some sort. I had nothing. No hunting rifle, no baseball bat, just my pepper spray. Truth be told, I would be more likely to spray myself in the face with it, than my attacker. Realizing that I was a sitting duck, I grabbed the keys out of the ignition, got my pepper spray ready, and slid over to the passenger side of the car. I was hoping to quietly open the passenger door and jump out, then run as fast as I could for help. Not the best of plans, but it was the only one I had. It was that, or wait for James to do something.

Slowly, and praying to every god there was, I opened the passenger door, and crouched down next to Chuck. I heard James approach the driver's side, then heard him swear when he saw I wasn't there.

"I know you're out there, Isabella. Do you really think you can run and hide?"

Yes. Yes, I did. Clutching the pepper spray tightly in my hand, I cautiously began moving forward. I had two options, really. Head toward the woods that lined the road, or take the road and hope against all hope that someone would come by and rescue me. I had a split second to make a decision and opted for the woods. If I took the road, James would have the advantage with his car. I peeked around the end of the car, noticing that James was walking around the front. Seeing that as my chance, I ran toward one of the huge pine trees along the road. Hiding behind it, I took a deep breath to steady myself. Then, as quietly as possible, I made my way up the embankment. I knew it would only be a matter of time before James headed my way. I knew that I had to push on.

Peering around the tree, I saw a flash of dark clothing. Fuck! I took off, up the small hill, heading in the direction that I believed the Cullen house was. I wasn't the best of runners as it was, but add in sticks and logs, and it was a recipe for disaster. My heart was pounding, my breath coming in gasps, but I kept forging on. I could hear James behind me, his footsteps getting closer and closer.

"Now, Isabella, is all of this really necessary? I just wanted to have a nice little chat with you," I heard him say.

Oh yeah, right. He wanted to talk. I kept going, praying that I would miraculously end up in the Cullen's backyard. I made it to a clearing and saw what looked like a house, not too far away. I started running even faster, determined to get there. I made the mistake of looking behind me, and that's when everything went dark.

* * *

A/N: I, myself, am a pen clicker much like Edward and used to annoy the hell out of my husband while we were studying. So, what did you think of think of the chapter? Let me know!


	29. Be Strong

Disclaimer: S.M. owns it all.

A/N: Well, folks. This is it. The last chapter before the epilogue. I'm amazed that I've managed to write this many chapters, and even more amazed that people actually read them. A huge thank you to all of you for reading my story. There won't be sequel, but I do have something else in my mind that I'll tell you about next chapter. You have Chylex28 to thank for the idea. Of course, I have to thank her for her awesome skills. Without further ado, I present Chapter 29.

* * *

No you're not defeated  
And soon you'll be smiling once again  
Then you won't have to feel it  
Let it go with the wind  
Time passes us by  
And know that you're allowed to cry

'cause when you're in your darkest hour  
And all of the light just fades away  
When you're like a single flower whose colours have turned to shades of gray  
Well hang on (whoa) and be strong  
(hang on hang on) Be strong  
Hold on and be strong

"Be Strong" by Delta Goodrem

* * *

Surviving High School

_Ouch_, my head hurt. I felt as if someone had hit me with a two-by-four, and there was a throbbing pain behind my eye. What the hell had happened? I'd been running in the woods to get away from The Creeper. I remembered turning around to see if he was nearby, and then, Bam! Darkness. I reached up to touch my head, only to realize that my hands were bound. I felt the sharp edge of panic begin to set in. I tugged at the rope that was binding my wrists, but they were bound tightly. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. Panicking would do no good. Carefully, I opened my eyes, but couldn't see anything. It was pitch black. Then I realized that there was fabric over my eyes. Blindfolded and bound. That wasn't good. I knew I had to stay calm, but honestly, I was freaking out on the inside.

I knew that by now, Edward would know I was missing, and would have alerted Charlie. Charlie would be looking for me, and I wished like hell that I'd left some sort of clues behind. I'd been in such a panic to get away from James, that I hadn't thought about it at the time. What was it they said? Hindsight was twenty-twenty. Yeah, it was. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on the what-ifs. It was time to try and find a way out of this situation that I found myself in. I tried to think of things that Charlie had told me, and I knew that he'd want me to pay attention to my surroundings. Hard to do when you couldn't see what was around you. Despite the fact that my hands were bound, I could still feel around, so that's what I did. I quickly realized that I was laying on something hard. A floor perhaps? Running my bound hands on the surface beneath me, I felt wood. Yes, definitely a floor. I then focused on my senses of smell and hearing. I smelt pine and must, along with the lingering odor of fast food. Straining my ears, I could hear rain falling on what could be a tin roof. A cabin! I must be in a cabin. I didn't hear anyone moving around, and decided to try and remove my blindfold.

After several attempts, I finally got it up enough for me to see. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, allowing me to get a better look around. It looked to be a one roomed cabin, small and sparse. I was sitting on the floor, in a corner. The door was across the room and to the right. There was a old card table, a wooden chair, and a cot. The cot was placed between the door and the small fireplace, that was smoldering with the remains of a fire. That would explain why I was so cold. Looking around again, I could make out what looked like crumpled food wrappers on the floor, as well as empty beer cans. This was where James had been hiding out. It seemed he wasn't around, and I realized this was my chance to escape. I quickly discovered, as I tried to stand up, that my feet were bound as well. _Shit! _That complicated things greatly. I was busy trying to formulate a plan, when I heard a vehicle pulling up to the cabin. _Fuck!_ He was back. I nudged the blindfold back down. I heard the door slam and footsteps coming my way.

A rough hand grabbed my shoulder, shaking me. "Rise and shine, sweetheart," he said in a slimy voice. I kept still, hoping that he'd leave me alone if I didn't respond. I should have known better. A sharp sting landed on my face, from the blow that he dealt me.

"Don't fuck with me, Isabella. I know you're awake," he snarled, ripping the blindfold off of me.

I squinted at the bright light shining in my face. He lowered the flashlight and gave me a creepy smile. He dragged the wooden chair from the table over to me, and sat down. Reaching over, he stroked the side of my face, causing me to shudder in revulsion.

"Oh, my sweet Isabella. We're going to have so much fun together."

"Let me go, James!" I hissed at him.

He let out a harsh laugh. "Oh no, Isabella. I'm not letting you go. I've wanted you for too long. Watching you throw yourself at that pathetic loser, Cullen. I couldn't believe my luck when Victoria's parents brought her to me."

I sat there stunned, but knew that the longer I kept him talking, the longer I stayed alive.

"She couldn't stand you. Hated you for taking Cullen away from her. I saw that as my chance. She was so easy to play. Jumped at the chance to date me and show up all her little friends. In doing so, she got me closer to you. You see, Isabella, I've been watching you for a while now, biding my time, trying to come up with a way to approach you. You were always with your friends, or your father. I couldn't risk doing anything with the Chief of Police around. But now, your daddy's not here. You're all mine."

He was fucking delusional. I struggled against the bonds holding me captive, but it was no use. He'd tied them too tightly. He seemed amused at my struggle. He got up and went over to some bags that were laying on the floor. Digging around, he pulled out a bottle of water and brought it over to me. He uncapped it and allowed me a little bit. He set the bottle down next to me, then went back to the bags. He scrounged around and brought out some fast food. He sat down in the chair next to me, holding out a burger for me to take a bite from. As much as I didn't want to, I knew that I would need my strength.

After we ate, he stretched out on the cot, listening to an old police scanner. The cabin was getting colder, and I could see my breath puffing out in front of me. A while later, James went outside and brought back in some wood. He started a small fire in the fireplace, allowing the cabin to quickly warm up, and I watched as James began to fall asleep. If I could get close enough to the fire, perhaps I could burn off the rope that was binding my arms. I risked burning myself, but at this point I didn't care. Keeping a close eye on James, I waited until I heard him snoring. For a kidnapper, he wasn't very smart. As quietly as possible, I scooted over to the fire. _Holy shit, that was hot!_ I flinched as the flames licked at my skin, as well as the rope. I kept my hands over the fire for as long as possible, before pulling them away. I tugged at the rope and noticed that it seemed a bit looser. Maybe this would work after all. Taking a deep breath, I put my hands over the open flames once again.

"What the fuck are you doing, you stupid bitch?" James roared at me, jumping up from the cot.

He came over and shoved me away from the fire, causing me to stumble and fall. I hit my head on the wall as I fell to the floor. _Fuck!_ Pain radiated throughout my head yet again, along with the pain in my wrists from the fire and the rope.

"Jesus! Are you fucking stupid or what? What was your plan? To burn the rope off? God, you are a fucking idiot!" he yelled at me, causing me to cower on the floor. He was thoroughly pissed off, giving his eyes a wild, manic look.

"Sit in the fucking corner and don't fucking move! I mean it, Isabella. If you so much as sneeze, I won't hesitate to hurt you. Is that understood?"

I nodded. Obviously, I needed a new plan. I tugged gently on the rope on my wrist again, and found it to be a bit looser than before. I bid my time, working my wrist against the rope, breathing the pain. I kept a careful eye on James, afraid of angering him further. I remembered what Charlie had told me, about the girl who James had put in the hospital. I knew that he was capable of violence, and I didn't want to experience it first hand. My arms were sore from being tied behind my back, and my wrist and hands hurt something horribly. My eyes started to droop, and I was hit with sudden exhaustion. I briefly wondered if he had drugged me before my eyes slid shut.

* * *

Someone was tapping me on the side of the face, annoying the hell out of me. I tried to reach up and swat the annoyance away, but couldn't move my hands. My eyes flew open as I remembered that James had me. I found myself staring at James, who looked filthy. His clothes were dirty and he smelled rather unpleasant, like he hadn't showered in days.

"Get up, Isabella!" he shouted at me, grabbing me and shaking my shoulders.

Groggily, I tried to do as he said. I slowly struggled to my feet, as he held me by the elbow. I realized that he must have untied my feet as some point, because he shoved me toward the door of the cabin. My legs were asleep, causing me to stumble and crash into the small table.

"Stop fucking around! Move!" he ordered me.

He opened the door to the cabin, and dragged me down the steps and into an old jeep. He took a dirty bandanna out of his pocket, and shoved it into my mouth, tying it behind my head. My nose wrinkled at the smell, and I tried not to gag. A moment later, a blindfold was put around my eyes. Apparently, he didn't want me to know where we were going. He put my seat belt on around me, and started the engine. We drove for what felt like hours. I couldn't be sure, but I noticed the road changed. It had started off as gravel when we were at the cabin, then turned to asphalt, and now it had become dirt. I could hear wind whipping through the trees and the sound of tires running over sticks. I felt the jeep slowing to a stop, and James grabbed me and pulled me out of the vehicle. I stumbled along the rough terrain, tripped up some steps, and heard him open a slightly creaky door. I was assaulted with the stench of decay and mold upon entering the threshold.

He shoved me forward, causing me to stumble into the wall. He made a sound of disgust, then shoved me onto a chair. It was wobbly and uncomfortable. I heard him moving around, muttering under his breath, and jumped when something crashed against the floor. James let out a litany of profanities, then stomped over to me. He whipped the blindfold off, but left the filthy gag in my mouth. He looked furious. I cowered as he stood over me, glaring at me like everything was my fault. He yanked me out of the chair and untied my hands.

"Clean this fucking place up," he spat out. "And don't even think about trying to leave."

Nodding, I turned my gaze to the room that we were in. Like the last cabin, this one was just as small. There were a couple of small windows letting in what was left of the daylight. The cabin was filled with cobwebs, filth, and animal carcasses. It looked to be an old trapper's cabin. There was a small fireplace, a table and chair, various animal skins, and a variety of tools hanging on the wall. Sharp tools. Tools that I could use as a weapon. James must have noticed my gaze, because he walked over to the wall and took a hunting knife off the wall.

Giving me a feral smile he said, "Looking at this, my pet. Don't try to lie. I could see you eying it." He traced a finger over the blade. "Were you thinking of ways to use this against me?"

I shook my head, eyes growing wide as he held the knife up, drawing closer to me. He grabbed me around the neck, running the edge of the blade against my throat. A sharp pain replaced the fear I was feeling, as the blade pierced my skin. Small rivulets of blood trickled from the open wound, and he leaned down to lick up the blood. I let out a shudder. He really was sick and twisted.

"If you so much as think of leaving me, I will kill you," he hissed in my ear. "If you want to live, you'll behave. Understood?"

I let out a whimper. His hand closed tighter around my neck, squeezing it, cutting off my air supply. After a few seconds, he let me go, and put the knife down on the table. Handing me a filthy rag and an empty bin, he told me to get cleaning. Figuring it would keep me busy and alive for a while still, I did what I was told. The floor was littered with animal furs and bones. Slowly, I started picking them up and putting them in the bin. It was taking everything in me not to gag, but I knew if I did, I would probably choke to death on my own vomit. I wasn't about to go down dying like that. I had just picked up a rotting rabbit carcass, when I saw it. Casting a glance at James, I saw him sitting at the table, looking at a map, so I quickly picked up the skinning knife and tucked it into my pocket.

The sun was starting to go down and the light in the cabin was fading. I had just thrown yet another carcass into the bin, when James grabbed me.

"Enough!" he barked at me. "Sit down in the chair."

Doing as I was told, I sat there as he tied my wrists with rope behind the chair. I wiggled a bit to get more comfortable, causing the chair to tip. James reached out and grabbed the chair, then grabbed me by the hair. Yanking my head back, so I was peering up at him, he glowered at me.

"Sit still!"

Giving my hair another rough yank, he let go, then stalked out the door. I let out a sigh once he was out of my sight. There was no way I could reach the knife since I'd put it in my front pocket, but that wasn't about to deter me from trying to loosen the rope. Twisting and turning, rope cutting into my tender skin, I kept at it until I heard James coming back. By then, my wrists were raw and bleeding. I hoped to hell he wouldn't notice. Coming back into the cabin, James threw some kindling into the fireplace and started a small fire. Turning back to me, he threw a granola bar on the table.

"Eat."

How the fuck was I supposed to do that with my hands tied behind my back? He must have seen my thoughts, because he walked behind me to untie the rope. I knew the minute he saw my wrists. He let out an angry growl.

"You fucking bitch!" He yelled, before slapping me across the face. I felt my lip split open from the blow, blood trailing down my chin. James wasn't done.

"I warned you to behave, but no. You had to go and try to get loose. Let me explain this once again. You. Are. Mine. Get that? Nobody is allowed to have you, but me. If you refuse to cooperate with me, I'll be forced to hurt you. Now be a good girl, and behave," he said, trailing a finger along my cheek.

I flinched from his touch. He was fucking insane, and I didn't want him touching me. After tightening the ropes, he sat down across from me and proceeded to eat a couple of granola bars. He tilted his chair back so that it rested against the wall, all the while keeping his eyes on me. It creeped me out. He started talking about how pretty I was and how we were meant to be together. The whole time, I was carefully pulling at the rope. I was getting the fuck out of here, tonight, if it killed me. And it very well could. I wanted my dad. I wanted Edward. I wanted to be away from this crazy man and his delusions.

Soon, the cabin began to grow dark with only the fire providing light. Stretching, James got up and made his way toward the fireplace. He pulled out an old cot that had been hidden against the wall and laid down. Seriously? He was going to sleep, while I sat here. The cover of darkness gave me more of an advantage to get the rope loose. I worked my hardest. Focusing on my goal and not on the rope burn, I twisted and turned until finally, it was loose enough for me to slip a hand out. _Yes!_ I did a mental fist pump. My wrists were sore and blistered from the fire as well as the rope, but that was a small price to pay for freedom. Patiently, I sat and waited until I heard James begin to snore.

I had no idea where I was, but couldn't risk staying in the cabin with James. I pulled the small knife out of my pocket, and held it in my right hand, just in case. I didn't have a coat and it was cold out, so I scanned the room for something to wear. I saw a flannel jacket on the floor near the cot, next to James. Cautiously, I made my way toward James and the cot. Terrified that he would hear me, I held my breath while reaching for the jacket on the floor. I picked it up, threw it on, and made my way to the door. Remembering that the door creaked when he opened it earlier, I prayed it would be quiet. Slowly, and with trembling hands, I reached out and grabbed the doorknob, giving it a pull. It wouldn't budge. _What the fuck?_ Then, I noticed the bolt on the door. I slid it open, reached down and turned the knob. The door squeaked slightly as I tugged it open, and I froze. I heard a stirring from the cot. My mind panicked while my body stood frozen. I wasn't sure how long I stood there, frozen, before I kicked myself into gear. The longer I stood there, the more chance I had of getting caught.

Stepping onto the sagging porch, I quietly closed the door behind me. My ankles were sore, and my wrists were throbbing in pain, but I tried not to focus on that. I took a moment to look at the cabin and its surroundings. I spotted the old jeep parked off to the side of the cabin. It would be so much easier to drive out of here than run. Quietly, I made my way over to the jeep and opened the door. I was hoping beyond all hope that the keys would be in the ignition. No such luck. I searched the jeep for the keys. I looked under the floor mat, the glove compartment, even the wheel well, but nothing. James must have kept them on him. Frustrated, I sat back in the seat with a huff. I didn't know how to hot wire a car, and I really didn't want to go back inside. My hands were cold, so I shoved my left hand inside the jacket pocket, and that's when I felt them. Could I be so lucky? Grasping them in my hand, I pulled them out. There, in my hand, was a set of keys. With shaking hands, I separated them out, looking for the one that looked most like a car key.

I put the key into the ignition. It fit. It was now or never. I turned the key and the engine roared to life. I put the knife in my pocket, locked the doors, and threw the the jeep into reverse. The tires screamed as I peeled down the dirt driveway in reverse. The door to the cabin flew open, and I saw James running toward me, screaming. Turning my focus to the barely visible dirt driveway behind me, I drove the car as fast as I dared. Eventually, I hit a dirt road and threw the car into drive. I had no idea which direction I was going, or even where I was, but that didn't stop me. The sky was getting darker, the road harder to see. The beams bounced along the road, lighting up the trees and debris lining the road. The clock on the dash informed me that I'd been driving for about twenty minutes. I noticed that the road was starting to slope down, and I could only hope that that meant I was heading toward civilization.

Another forty minutes passed by, and I noticed the gas was starting to get low, but I kept driving. Finally, the dirt road turned onto a paved one. I'd never been so happy in my life. The gas gage was nearing empty, and the old jeep was starting to sputter, but I was determined to get to civilization. About ten miles down the road, I spotted a small gas station with a light on. I pulled the jeep up to the pump and climbed out. Rushing inside, I found an elderly man sitting on a stool behind the counter.

"Can I help you miss?"

"Do you have a phone I could borrow?" I asked, desperation tinting my voice.

"Are you in trouble?"

"Yes! I need to call my dad! Please! I was taken against my will, and I know that my dad is worried sick about me."

"Of course miss," he said, handing me a cordless phone.

I quickly dialed Charlie's cell, and waited impatiently for him to answer.

"Chief Swan," he barked out, upon answering.

"Dad! It's me," I sobbed into the phone.

"Bella! Oh, Bells! Oh, thank God! Where are you?" he asked me, with a trembling voice.

"I...I don't know," I told him.

The old man behind the counter, must have heard Charlie's question because he informed me that we were in Mossyrock.

"Dad, I'm in Mossyrock."

"Mossyrock! Hang on, Bells. We're on our way. Are you safe?"

"I think so. I'm at a gas station using the phone."

The old man tapped me on the shoulder. I told Charlie to hang on a sec, and turned to face the man. He informed me that he and his wife had a house down the road, and he would take me there to keep me safe. He asked if he could speak with Charlie, so I handed over the phone. The old man introduced himself as Cecil Fredericks and explained to Charlie that he and his wife, Margaret, would take care of me until he arrived. I could hear Charlie warning Mr. Fredericks about James and to be careful. Mr. Fredericks hung up the phone and led me out to his car. I asked him what to do about James' jeep and he told me he'd take care of it. I watched as he drove it into an old shed near the gas station, then we got into his car. We drove a few miles down the road and pulled up to a nice brick house. Upon entering, I was swept up in a huge hug by an elderly woman. She set me down, offered me some tea and a sandwich, then gave me a phone so I could call Charlie again.

Settled on her couch, I gave Charlie a call. He told me that Edward called him when I didn't show up at his house, and that I'd been missing for thirty-six hours. I hadn't realized that I'd been gone that long. He told me that he had the local police, as well as the state police, looking for me.

"Bells? Can you tell me what happened?"

"Chuck died on me while I was on my way to Edward's, and James showed up. So I took to the woods and ran. I don't know what happened after that, but I woke up in this cabin. He'd blindfolded me and tied my hands with rope. I think he might have drugged me, because when I woke up again, it was morning. He gagged me and put me in his jeep and we drove for a long time before arriving at another cabin. Eventually, he fell asleep and I managed to get the rope off. I grabbed his jacket and snuck out. Luckily, the jacket had keys to this old jeep in it, so I drove away. James saw me, though," I explained.

I stayed on the phone with Charlie until he was about thirty minutes out. Mrs. Frederick let me use their shower, and she gave me some clothes that her granddaughter had left behind. Dressed in clean clothes, I bundled up my old ones and put them in a plastic bag. I didn't know if the police would want them, but figured it couldn't hurt. After my shower, she bandaged up my cuts and told me to get comfortable. I was sitting on the couch in their living room, when a knock on the door startled me. Mrs. Frederick went to see who it was, then quickly came back in the room.

"Go upstairs," she quietly told me, and I saw her grab a shotgun from the hall closet.

I knew then that it wasn't Charlie. Grabbing the bag of clothes, I ran up the stairs as quickly and as quietly as I could. I hid in a closet in one of the bedrooms.

"May I help you?," I heard her politely ask.

"Yes, Ma'am. I'm looking for my girlfriend. She's around five foot two, long brown hair, and brown eyes. She went missing a few days ago. Have you seen her?"

Good God, he was really playing the part of the worried boyfriend.

"Oh, you poor boy. I'm sorry to tell you that I haven't seen her. I haven't been out of the house much lately," she explained.

"I'm going to give you my number. If you see her, will you give me a call, please? She's mentally unstable, and I'm very worried about her."

"Of course, dear. I hope you find her."

I heard the door close, but was reluctant to come out from my hiding spot. What if he was still out there, lurking, just waiting to catch Mrs. Fredericks in a lie? After a few minutes, Mrs. Fredericks told me it was safe to come out, but I wasn't risking it. He could come back. Huddled in the closet, I sat there, terrified. Then I heard another knock on the door.

"May I help you?" I heard her ask.

"Mrs. Fredericks? My name is Charlie Swan. I talked to your husband a while ago. He said my daughter, Bella, was here."

Hearing Charlie's voice was all I needed to come out of hiding. Still holding on to the bag with my dirty clothes, I raced down the stairs and threw myself into Charlie's arms.

"Dad!" I cried out, as his arms wrapped around me.

"Bells!"

He wrapped me up in a huge hug, holding onto me tightly. In that moment, I knew I was safe, so I let it all out. Sobs wracked my body, and I felt Charlie pressing kisses to my head, his body shaking with his own tears. After we parted, I wiped the tears from my eyes using my shirt sleeve and took a good look at Charlie. He looked tired and haggard. Like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. His eyes were tired and worried, lined with dark bruises underneath, as if he hadn't slept in a long time. I hated that I'd made him look like that. Or more accurately, that James had made him look like that.

Then, I noticed that Charlie wasn't alone. Standing behind him, was Edward. My Edward. Like Charlie, he had bags under his eyes and he looked worse for wear. I threw myself at him, and held on for dear life. He grabbed me in a bruising hug, pressing kisses all over my cheeks and lips, whispering how sorry he was and how much he loved me. The tears started to fall again, and I didn't try to stop them. There had been a few moments when I thought I'd never see him again. Charlie wrapped his arms around both of us, while pressing another kiss to my head. Reluctantly, we parted, and Mrs. Fredericks ushered us over to the couch. Sitting down, she told Charlie that James had been there moments before. Upon hearing that news, Charlie called Mark, as well as the state police, and had them start a search. I told Charlie what I could about the cabin and which direction I'd come from. Charlie excused himself to talk to Mark. When he returned, he informed me that he would be staying here to wait for Mark, as well as the local and state police.

"No, Dad! You have to leave with me! What if he comes after you! You could get hurt!" I cried to him.

Wrapping his arms around me, he rocked us back and forth. "Bells. I have to stay behind. I need to catch James. Edward is going to drive you home, and I want you to call me every half-hour, okay?"

I nodded. After giving Charlie a huge hug and making him promise to be careful, I thanked Mrs. Fredericks, and headed outside with Edward. I was terrified that James was outside lurking around, waiting to grab me the minute he got the opportunity. Charlie had borrowed Sue's car, and once safely inside, I locked the doors and begged Edward to get us home as quickly as possible. Waving goodbye to Charlie, Edward threw the car into gear and we headed out. He pulled out his phone and called his family, letting them know that I'd been found and that we were on our way home.

The drive back to Forks was the longest three and a half hours of my life. I kept looking behind us, afraid that we were being followed, despite Edward's reassurances. I kept my word and called Charlie every half hour. He let me know that he was with the state and local police, and that the man hunt for James was in effect. He'd let me know if anything happened. Once again, I begged him to be careful and safe. He assured me he would be. Finally, we arrived at the Cullen's house. Alice came running out of the house, throwing the car door open, and pulling me into a huge hug. I hugged her back, before she was pulled off of me, and Emmett wrapped me up in a crushing hug. After many more hugs and kisses, I was led inside and gently pushed down on the couch. Carlisle sat down next to me, and began examining my various injuries, as well as taking pictures of them.

Gently, he ran a finger along the bandaged cut on my neck. He pulled off the dressing that Mrs. Fredericks had applied.

"Deep breaths, Bella. This is going to sting," he told me, before applying a disinfectant to the cut.

Thankfully, it was shallow enough that it wouldn't need stitches. As he examined my wrists, he let out a low whistle. My skin was raw, bloodied, and slightly burned. When he asked me what happened, I explained that I'd tried to burn off the rope. Not my brightest idea. The family, along with my friends, as well as Sue and Seth were all very sympathetic. Talking to me and telling me things were going to be okay. Edward, on the other hand, hadn't said a word. He'd just held my hand while his dad fixed me up. I looked over at him and wasn't surprised to see tears in his beautiful eyes. He blinked them back and gave me a small, watery smile. It hurt me to see him so upset.

Once Carlisle was done, the others excused themselves from the room, leaving us alone. Edward pulled me into his lap, holding me close, burying his face into my hair.

"God, Bella! I was so worried. Terrified that I'd lost you to that monster forever," he said, his voice breaking.

Turning in his lap, I cupped his face and brought his lips to mine. The kiss was sweet, gentle. He rested his head on my shoulder, and I held him tighter.

"I can't imagine my life without you, Bella. You're it for me. When I thought I'd lost you, well...I lost it. My room is a bit of a wreck. When you didn't arrive, I went looking for you and saw Chuck abandoned on the road. I called Charlie immediately, and he came over. It was determined that you'd been taken. Longest thirty-six hours of my life. Charlie called me to let me know that you were safe and that he was going to get you. I begged him to let me go with. I couldn't stand not seeing you, being there for you. I should never have let you drive over here. I should have picked you up," he stated, sounding angry with himself.

"Hey. No. Don't do that. It wasn't your fault!" I stressed. "It wasn't your fault, it wasn't mine. The blame solely lays with James. He took me, and once Charlie catches him, he'll pay for it."

We sat there for hours, family and friends stopping in, making small talk. It had been three hours since we'd arrived back and there'd been no word from Charlie yet. I was getting worried. All I could seem to think was worse case scenarios, with Charlie being hurt or worse, killed. At around ten, Edward's phone rang. He grabbed it and handed it to me.

"Dad?"

"Hey, Bells," he said, sounding weary. "We got him."

"Oh, thank God! Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?" I asked.

"We're all fine. Can't say the same for Trakker. I'll tell you all about it when I get home. Right now, he's in custody. I probably won't be home till tomorrow morning. Have to do all kinds of paperwork on this bastard."

I said goodbye to Charlie and informed the others what he had told me. There was a collective sigh heard in the room upon hearing that James had been caught. Exhaustion was taking its toll on me, and I was having a hard time staying awake. Edward picked me up and carried me upstairs to his room. Setting me down on his bed, he handed me a t-shirt and some boxers to wear, before leaving the room. I barely had the energy to strip out of my clothes and put on the pajamas, but I managed. Once changed, I climbed up on the bed, pulled down the covers, and climbed in. A few minutes later, the door opened and Edward came in. Stripping down to his boxers, he climbed in beside me. I was too tired to care that we might get in trouble if his parents found us. Spooning me, Edward wrapped his arms tightly around me, holding me close. Feeling safe, I let my eyes drift shut.

_A small fire crackled from the fireplace, while James sat at the table, sharpening the hunting knife that he'd gotten earlier. I sat in the chair, arms bound to it, as well as my feet. My face stung from the last blow that he'd dealt me. _

_"Look at me," he commanded._

_Slowly, I raised my eyes to his. His eyes were manic, his smile feral. _

_"I'm going to enjoy killing you," he told me softly. And I knew he would. _

_Slowly, he stood up, pushing his chair back. He walked over to me, holding the knife up for me to see. The blade gleamed as the flame from the fire glanced off of it. Bringing the tip of the blade closer to me, he skimmed it along my hairline, down my jaw to my throat. Rotating his wrist, the sharp point of the blade now pressed into my skin. Panic reared its ugly head, but it was pointless. There was nothing I could do to save myself. I was at his mercy, and he was going to kill me. _

_The tip of the knife broke the skin, and I felt the first licks of pain, as he pressed the knife in deeper. Blood began to pour from the wound, but that didn't stop him. He dragged the knife along my throat, slicing as easy as if he was slicing butter. I felt my skin ripping apart, and I couldn't stop the scream that bubbled out of me. My scream caused him to laugh. Reaching up, he took his free hand and squeezed my neck, milking the blood from the wound. He pulled his hand away, showing his blood covered hand. I felt my eyes begin to roll back in my head. I'd never done well with blood, but seeing it staining his hand was almost too much to take. I felt a smack on the side of my face._

_"Oh no you don't. I'm not done with you yet," he hissed at me._

_Setting down the knife, he grabbed my bound hands and held them out in front of me. Picking up the knife, he brought it down to my wrist and started to make a vertical cut, digging in deep enough for me to bleed. He then proceeded to cut my other wrist. Blood was now pouring from my skin, and I felt myself getting fainter and fainter. I was roused from my state of semi-unconsciousness once again. He looked me straight in the eye as he brought the knife down and embedded it in my chest. Cold rushed over my body, and all I could think about was that I would never see Edward again—_

"Bella! Wake up! Please, please, wake up!"

I shot up, drenched in sweat, heart pounding, tears pouring down my face. Edward immediately wrapped me in a hug, pressing kisses upon my face. His hands stroked my back, calming me. It had seemed so real. I could still feel the pain the knife had caused on my skin, and my hands flew up to touch the bandage on my neck. It hadn't all been part of a dream, James had cut my throat. Not enough to do any substantial damage, but enough to evoke nightmares.

* * *

At around ten the next morning, Charlie arrived at the Cullen house. Even though, I'd seen him not that long ago, I threw myself at him, inspecting him to make sure he wasn't hurt.

"Bells, honey. I'm fine. I promise," he said, returning my hug.

Gathering all of us into the living room, he proceeded to tell us everything that had happened.

"After Edward and Bella left, Mark, my deputy, arrived along with the local police. We decided to split into groups. One half went to find the cabin Bells told us about, and Mark, a few deputies, and myself, canvased the town. We didn't find him in town, but Jack, one of the other cops, called and let us know that they'd found the cabin and were requesting backup."

Charlie took a moment to take a breath.

"So, we all went to the cabin and found him holed up inside, armed to the teeth. There was a minor fire fight. The only hurt one was James, himself," he was quick to reassure us. "He's been arrested and charged with kidnapping, assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a deadly weapon, well...you get the idea. The list is long."

"Did you find out his real name?" Carlisle asked.

"We did. His name is Demetri Caius. He's originally from Greece, but moved to New York when he was ten. He was in and out of foster care until he was eighteen. He left New York with a slew of crimes behind him. From what we learned, he's wanted in at least four states, and has at least ten different aliases. He's even wanted on the federal level, so the F.B.I.'s going to get a crack at him first. Bells, I'll need you to come down to the station later so we can file a report."

An hour later, Charlie and I left, heading to the police station. I spent the next two hours recounting my story to police and F.B.I. agents. Pictures were taken, statements given, charges filed. By the time we got home, I was an exhausted mess once again. Entering the house, I escaped to my room. Charlie had gotten my phone back, and I quickly called Edward.

"Hey, love. How are you?"

His velvet voice warmed me immediately. "I'm alright. I'm tired of talking about it though. I just want to forget and put it behind me," I said with a sigh.

"I know, love. But it might help to talk about it. Dad wanted me to let you know that he knows a good therapist, if you need someone to talk to."

"Tell Carlisle that I appreciate it, but I'll be fine. I promise."

* * *

It was the last day of school, and I was ready for my stress-free summer. The first few weeks after my ordeal, I was a wreck. I wasn't sleeping, wasn't eating, and I had moments where I just holed up in my room, staring out the window. My family, as well as my friends, were worried about me. Finally, Edward talked me into going to see the therapist that Dr. Hot had recommended. I was resistant at first, but after a few sessions, I felt much better. I still saw her once every two weeks. James had been charged with all kinds of crimes, and if convicted, wouldn't see the light of day for a very long time.

Now, here I was, sitting in my last class of the day, not really paying attention to what was going on around me. I was busy planning my summer. I would be working part-time at Newtons, from eight to noon, which was fine with me. My afternoons were going to be free to spend with my man and my friends. I was so lost in my musings, that I almost missed the ringing of the bell, finalizing the school year. I jumped up, grabbed my bag, and made my way to my locker. Quickly opening it, I shoved all the crap inside of it to my bag, and headed out toward the mom-mobile. Edward was already there, waiting for me. He'd gotten out an hour earlier than I had, lucky jerk. He was leaning against his car, one ankle crossed over the other. His torn jeans fit him exceptionally well, and his t-shirt showed off his muscular arms. He was talking on the phone, his eyes covered by his sunglasses, and I couldn't help but smile. He was all mine. I could keep him forever, and I planned on it.

His face lit up when he saw me coming his way, and he hung up his phone, sliding his sunglasses onto the top of his head.

"Hey, gorgeous," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my lips.

"Hello, handsome," I replied back, before losing myself in his kiss. His tongue pressed against the seam of my lips, and I let him in. My hands grasped his shoulders, holding on tight. He pumped his tongue into my mouth, and let out a groan when I tangled mine with his. Slowly, he pulled his head back, breath rasping from his chest. My own breath was ragged as well, but I couldn't resist pressing one more kiss to his lips.

"Get a room!" a loud voice boomed at us from across the parking lot. We rolled our eyes and ignored Emmett. After one last kiss, I climbed into his car and waited for him to join me. He slid into the driver's seat, put his sunglasses on, and flashed me that panty-dropping grin as he said, "Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Laughter bubbled out of me, as we drove off, ready for the best summer ever.

* * *

A/N: Cheesy ending? Check. Happy Ever After? Check. What's left? The epilogue of course. I'm posting this as I'm on my way out the door to my Friday night D&D ritual. Yes, I'm a nerd. As always, thank you for reading and leave me a review!


	30. Love Like This

Disclaimer: S.M. owns all. I just play with her characters.

A/N: Well, folks. Here it is. The epilogue to my little story. I'm sorry for the delay. My beta was out of town, which I totally forgot about, and then decided to tweak the story a bit. I held off on posting the story because I was awaiting her beta skills. Sadly, she still super busy, so I'm posting this without it being beta'd. Hopefully, my grammatical errors don't kill the chapter.

I can't think you enough for reading this story. I will be writing a companion piece to this story, focusing on Emmett and Ben, and the adventures they have. I have Chylex28 to thank for the idea. I also have plans to write a darkward fic along the way at some point. Anyway, I've been busy playing around on Pottermore (for those of you who don't know, it's a site designed by J.K. Rowling and deals with lots of fun Harry Potter stuff) and had to force myself to stop, so that I could start writing this story. Alright, with out further ado, I give you... the epilogue.

* * *

You're the only one that knows me,  
love it when you hold me,  
never find a love like this  
Let me hear you say  
Now I'll never be lonely,  
look at what you've shown me,  
never find a love like this.

Cause this life tried to keep us apart,  
you keep calling me back to your heart.  
Let me hear you say,  
aren't you glad you found me,  
wrap you all around me,  
never find a love like this.  
"Love Like This" by Natasha Bedingfield

* * *

Surviving High School

I could hardly believe that it was me I was seeing, staring back at me in the mirror. I'd imagined this scene a million times before, but the reality was so much better. My hair was swept up in a chignon, a veil hanging down my back, and my dress was stunning. There were no words to describe it. It was bride-white silk that flowed from the strapless, sweetheart bodice, down the narrow torso to a full skirt. It was a ballgown style that shimmered with beadwork and had a bit of sparkle on the bodice, trailing down the sides, encircling the hem and train. I'd been hesitant at first, when Alice had shown it to me, but once I'd tried it on, I'd fallen in love with it.

"Oh, Bella! You're stunning!" Esme gushed, giving me a hug, careful not to crush my dress or ruin my hair.

I saw the tears starting to well up in her eyes, and it was all I could do not to join her. I'd been waiting for this moment for five years and could hardly believe that it was here. If you'd told my pre-Edward self, that I would one day be marrying the man of my dreams, I would have laughed in your face. So much had happened in the past five years, and it was hard not to get nostalgic and reminisce.

* * *

Things had slowly gotten back to normal once James had been arrested and convicted. He was serving twenty-five to life with no chance of parole. Something that we were all grateful for. The scar on my neck from where James had cut me, was small and barely visible, but it was the emotional scars that ran deep. The first few months, after being kidnapped by James, had left me with horrible nightmares. The nightmares were very rare nowadays. I think a lot of that was due to the two years I spent attending therapy with the counselor that Carlisle had set me up with. It really helped.

That summer was one of the best summers of my life. It was the first time that I went to Isle Esme. It was midsummer, and I had just gotten off my shift at Newton's. I was heading to Edward's house to meet up with him and hang out with Alice for a bit. She'd been whining that we hadn't had enough girl time, so I'd promised her an afternoon.

"Bella!" she squealed upon opening the door.

She wrapped me up in a hug, which I returned. We spent the afternoon watching girly movies and doing girly things. We had just sat down for dinner with the rest of the Cullen clan, when Dr. Hot brought up Isle Esme.

"I got two weeks off in mid-August for our trip to the island," he mentioned to Esme. She was thrilled, and I could tell that Edward and Alice were equally excited. I sat there, a bit awed by the fact that they owned an island and it were so nonchalant about it.

"Bella?" Esme asked.

"Oh, sorry. My mind wandered a bit. What were you saying?"

"We were wondering if you'd like to come to Isle Esme with us this summer?"

My mouth fell open. They were inviting me to come with them to their private island. The only thing to say to that was — "Yes! I'd love to come with you! I'll have to ask Charlie and Sue first, though."

Esme and Dr. Hot insisted on driving me home that way they could talk to Charlie and Sue themselves. The Cullen parents sat down and explained to my parents everything about the trip and what it would entail. All I could do was sit there, with fingers crossed, praying they say yes. And they did. I was ecstatic. Scratch that. I was beyond ecstatic. I was going to a private island where I was going to spend time with my gorgeous boyfriend. Woohoo!

The month of June flew by and Edward and I celebrated his birthday by having sex. It sure as hell wasn't planned, but it felt right. Alice had thrown a huge party for Edward at their place, and afterward we headed back to my house for some much needed quiet time. Charlie and Sue were out on a date and Seth was spending the weekend with friends on the rez. Edward and I were in my room, on my bed, making out. One thing led to another, and before we knew it, our clothes were gracing my bedroom floor. It's not like any of that was new to us. Usually we kept our underwear on, but before we knew it, we were sprawled on my bed completely naked. It was awkward at first. Mainly for me. There was that fear that he'd find me repulsive or unappealing. Being naked in front of someone was extremely nerve-wracking. He calmed my fears and soothed my nerves and told me we didn't have to do anything. I told him I was ready. Loosing my virginity wasn't like the horror stories I'd heard told at school. Sure, there was a moment of pain, and then it was gone. I wasn't going to lie and say that it was mind-blowing or out of this world, but it wasn't bad. I knew that most women didn't have an orgasm the first time and wasn't too disappointed when I didn't. Edward, on the other hand, was a bit upset with himself. He more than made it up to me later. After all, practice makes perfect.

All too soon the Fourth of July was upon us. Esme had insisted on hosting a huge get together and it was a blast. Everyone had a great time, especially Emmett. Give that boy fireworks and food, and look out. He nearly blew his hand off when he lit a firecracker in it. Not one of his brighter moments. Sadly, after the Fourth, the days dragged by. Working at Newton's was boring as hell, but it gave me the cash I needed for college and for my upcoming trip. So most of my money was going into my vacation fund, but some of it was making it's way into my college fund. Finally, August 15th arrived, and with it my vacation.

I wasn't real sure where we would be going, but I knew that the island was somewhere off a coast in South America. Alice had come over and packed my bags for me. I was positive that she'd thrown in some bikinis and other tiny articles of clothing that I would be reluctant to wear. I had been a bit upset to find that Esme and Dr. Hot were paying for my ticket to Brazil, and had refused to let me pay them back. They told me to think of it as an early birthday present. Seeing as how I wanted to go to Isle Esme so badly, I gave in and took the ticket with no further argument. We left early on the morning of the 15th from Seattle and caught a flight into Houston. I fell asleep on the flight and was extremely groggy and irritated as I was dragged through the Houston airport. I'd never been to Texas before, and I guess changing planes in the airport didn't really count as being in the state. The next flight we caught was to Rio de Janeiro and holy shit, it was a long flight.

Finally, we arrived in South America where we caught a taxi down to the docks. Apparently, the Cullens also owned a small yacht. I knew that Dr. Hot made some good money, but a yacht and a private island seemed like it would cost a lot. There was no way to bring it up without sounding crass, so I didn't, despite the fact that I was dying of curiosity. Edward must have noticed that I was a bit preoccupied because he asked me what was wrong, once we were on board.

"I don't mean to sound crass or nosy, but how can your family afford all of this?"

He gave me a smile. "Mom and Dad both come from money. When Grandpa Cullen died, he left Dad a ton of money as well as trust funds for Alice and I."

That made much more sense. I didn't want to think that Dr. Hot had a side business selling organs on the black market.

My first reaction to seeing the island, was oh my fucking God! It was beautiful. Pure white sand lined the beach while blue waves crashed upon it. Once docked, we followed a path through a miniature jungle until we came to the house. I was stunned, although I don't know why. It wasn't like the Cullens did anything halfway. I was led through a set of French doors, that opened into a large living room with a stone floor. The house had five bedrooms and four and a half baths. Alice and Edward each had their own rooms, Rose and I would share a room, while Emmett and Jasper shared another. I was sure I looked like a fish, gaping at everything. Exhausted after our long trip, we all quickly fell asleep.

I awoke the next day to the sound of birds singing and the warm sun shining on my face. Stretching, I rolled over to go back to sleep, when it hit me where I was. I was on a motherfucking island! I looked over and noticed Rose was awake and grinning at me.

"How excited are you?" she asked.

"So fucking much!"

We got up, showered, and headed downstairs to see what the day would bring us. Esme made us a wonderful breakfast consisting of Belgium waffles, while we discussed our plans for the day. Alice, of course, had a itinerary planned for us.

"I figured we could all go snorkeling this morning. Then after lunch —"

"I'll show Bella around the island," Edward interrupted.

Alice put on a pout, but Edward wasn't swayed. "No, Alice. We're here to have fun. To relax and enjoy our vacation. No itineraries, no planning. Let's just have fun."

Crossing her arms and giving him a glare, she finally gave in.

Rose and I went upstairs to change, and I was dismayed to see the bathing suit that was in my suitcase. There, lying in my suitcase, mocking me, was a tiny blue bikini. Frantically, I searched my case for my nice, safe one piece, but it was nowhere to be found. _Shit!_ I picked up the two pieces of fabric and they dangled from my fingers.

"Am I really supposed to wear this?" I asked Rose, voice full of horror and disgust.

She let out a laugh. "Yup. Don't worry. You'll look great in it."

"Yeah, okay," I said sarcastically. "I don't mind Edward seeing me in this, I guess. But wearing this in front of Dr. Hot is gonna be embarrassing."

It wasn't until I said it, that I realized what I'd called Carlisle.

Rose let out a hoot. "Dr. Hot! Holy shit, that's so appropriate. Ha! Now, I'm so gonna call him that."

Eventually, I changed into the two pieces of dental floss, and wrapped myself up in a towel. Slipping my feet into a pair of flip flops, Rose and I left our room and met everyone in the living room. From there we went down to the beach. I'd never been snorkeling before, and I had a blast. Charlie and Sue had bought me an underwater camera, which I put to good use. The rest of the week was spent exploring the island, visiting the parrots that lived on the south end of the island, and swimming with the porpoises. It was, at the point in time, the best time of my life. All too soon, our two weeks on the island came to an end, and life went back to normal.

Summer ended and we began our senior year. Thankfully, our senior year was drama free for the most part. We had to testify at James' trial, but aside from that, our year went smoothly. Our biggest issue was deciding where to go to college. My grades were pretty good, but nowhere near as good as Edward's were. Edward was accepted at Darthmouth, as well as Yale, while I was accepted to UDub. I knew that Edward really wanted to go to Dartmouth, and I wasn't about to stand in the way of his dreams. He, however, was a stubborn ass and refused to go.

"I don't want to be away from you, Bella."

"And I don't want you giving up your dreams for me!"

"I'm not giving up my dreams. UDub has a good medical school."

I let out a huff. "Not nearly as good or as impressive as Dartmouth."

He reached out and put both of his hand on my shoulders, looking me in the eyes. "Bella, love. It's my choice. I choose to go to UDub with my beautiful girlfriend. And I'm not giving anything up. I'm still going to be a doctor."

"Fine. But if you end up hating, don't blame me!"

Charlie and Sue were thrilled that I'd be going to UDub, since it meant I'd still be relatively close to home. I was afraid that Esme and Dr. Hot would be upset with Edward's choice to go to school with me, but they weren't. They were very supportive. Senior year flew by and before we knew it, graduation was upon us.

Alice, being Alice, threw a huge graduation party, inviting half the school. Surprisingly, I had a good time. We all sat around eating and discussing what our plans for the future were. Angela and Ben were coming to UDub with me, while Alice was headed to New York to study fashion at Parsons. Jasper had joined the army and would be heading to Texas to begin boot camp, the week after school got out. When I'd first heard that they would be separated, I was worried for them, but Alice quickly assured me that everything would be fine. And if Alice said it would be fine, then it would be. Rose and Emmett were headed to Notre Dame where Emmett had gotten a football scholarship. I was sad to see our group breaking apart. Of course we promised to email, text, and Skype each other as much as possible, but I still felt like my family was falling apart.

"Oh, Bella. It'll be fine. You'll see. We'll all be back together again before you know it. We'll get together every Christmas and in the summer," Alice assured me.

But life doesn't always go as planned. Our freshman and sophomore years of college we did get together every Christmas and over the summer, but things started to change around our junior year. Angela, Ben, Edward and I all had an apartment off campus together, but the summer of junior year, Angela and Ben moved out. I was sad to see them go, but it was nice living with just Edward and gave me a glimpse of what our future would be like. That same year, Rose and Emmett announced that they were expecting. Thanks to the over-sharing that Rose did, I learned exactly how their soon-to-be bundle of joy was conceived. We were all very happy for them, but I couldn't help but wonder how they were going to pull it off; college, work, and a baby. But they did, and I shouldn't have been surprised.

A few months after we found out about Rose and Emmett, Jasper was deployed to Iraq. Alice called me one night in a state of panic, terrified. She'd had a dream that Jasper had been killed and it took Edward to calm both of us down. Thankfully, Jasper returned from Iraq two years later, in perfect physical health. His mental health wasn't so well. I gave him the number of the therapist I had gone to all those years ago, and he started going to her.

Senior year of college was a flurry of activities. I'd double majored in English and history and was struggling to get my senior seminar papers done. I was under a lot of stress and had started to become a major bitch, which led to lots of arguments and fights with Edward, who was under a ton of stress himself. One night we had a particular nasty fight, and that was the night that I thought for sure we were over.

"I can't take this anymore, Bella! You're always fucking on me about something!" he hollered at me.

My face was red, hair a mess, and I was stressed beyond belief. The last thing I needed to deal with was a yelling Edward.

"Well, maybe if you fucking helped out around here, I wouldn't have to get on you about things! I'm so tired of fucking doing everything! I go to class, I go to work, have tons of projects and assignments do, and on top of it all you expect me to cook and clean up after you! Well, it fucking ends now!"

He ran a hand through his hair and shot me a glare. "I don't ask you to cook and clean for me. You took it upon yourself to do those things. Don't fucking put that on me! I'm stressed out too, you know. It's not like pre-med is a walk in the park! I've got a lot on my plate, and I can't deal with you being such a fucking bitch!"

I recoiled as if I'd been struck. Never had he ever called me a bitch. Sure, we'd had arguments before, but not once had he called me that. "Well, if I'm such a bitch then why are you still with me?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," he snarled at me.

I was shocked. I watched as he gathered up some stuff and threw it in his backpack.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Out," was his curt reply.

He started staying out late, coming home once I was asleep. I'd wake up in the morning and he'd be gone. We rarely saw each other, but I was so caught up in myself that I failed to notice that he was slowly moving his stuff out. It wasn't until I came home one night and found his key, along with a note on the table, that I realized how messed up things were.

_Bella,_

_I'm sorry. I can't do this anymore. We're always fighting when we're around each other, and I think that we need to take a break. I've decided that my moving out is the best thing for us right now. I've gotten an apartment not too far from campus, where I can be alone. I still love you. I always will, but we can't keep doing this. We're tearing each other apart. I think what we need is time away from each other until things calm down. I'm not breaking up with you. I promise. I just need some time to myself to evaluate things. I love you._

_~Edward._

I dropped into the chair at the table and read the letter over and over. I couldn't believe it. He'd moved out. I sat, stunned, before the sobs began. I let it all out. Everything that I'd been feeling and holding in. I called Angela, and in between sobs, told her that Edward had left. She came over and held me, listening to me hash out everything that had gone wrong with us. What shocked me the most was that she agreed with him. She thought us being apart would help in the long run.

"Bella. I know it seems like the world is ending, but it's not. I think you and Edward need this time apart to think things over and reevaluate your relationship. Living with your boyfriend can be stressful. Ben irritates the hell out of me sometimes, and I want nothing more than to smack him upside his head. But, I also think you and Edward need to talk things over. If the two of you can't handle living together every time things get tense, then maybe you shouldn't."

Damn her. She was right. She usually was. After hugging Angela goodbye, I took a shower and cleaned myself up. Edward hadn't left me his new address, so I decided to give him a call. Half of me was terrified that he'd answer, while the other half was terrified that he wouldn't.

"Hello," came his tired weary voice over the phone.

"Hi, Edward," I said softly.

"I guess you got my note."

"I did."

There was an awkward silence between us before I finally spoke again. "Could we—is it possible for us to get together and talk?" I asked.

I heard him let out a sigh. "Bella, I can't do this. Not right now. I...I need some space. If you still want to talk, we can try and get together on Friday. Okay?"

Friday. That was three days away, but I would take what I could get at this point.

"Okay," I whispered, my voice tinged with sadness.

We hung up, and I curled up in our—my bed. I felt so alone. I never once thought that in all the years we'd been together that this would ever happen. The next three days dragged on, and I couldn't find it in myself to do anything. I didn't go to class, I called in sick to work, and just stayed at home. Laying on the couch watching crap on the TV, or laying in bed. I didn't even have the energy to shower. I was on the couch in my pajamas, watching some reality show when the buzzer buzzed. I got up and pushed the button, letting the downstairs door open. A few minutes later there was a knocking on the door. I peered through the peephole and saw that it was Edward. I was in such a state, that I didn't even care that I looked and probably smelled like shit. I opened the door and let him in.

He looked like I felt. His eyes were tired and weary, his face etched with sadness.

"Hey," he said, coming into the apartment, closing the door behind him.

"Hi."

Then we stood there, staring awkwardly at one another. How had it come to this? To the point where we couldn't even be ourselves with each other. We sat down on opposite ends of the couch, silence and tension thick between us.

"I...uh—" he began.

"I'm sorry!" I blurted out, interrupting him.

"I'm sorry for being such a bitch. I'm sorry for nagging you about everything and pushing you away. I never wanted any of this to happen!" I cried.

"I know. I'm sorry, too. It wasn't just you, I was being an ass about things. I love you so much, Bella. I really do. But this—this fighting and attacking each other, has got to stop. We're going to tear ourselves apart if we keep it up."

"I know. I don't want to fight with you. I hate it. I don't even know why I did it."

"I think a lot of it, is that we're both super stressed right now. Finals are in two weeks. I think that we should live apart until school is over."

My face paled. Two weeks without Edward by my side. I felt my heart start to break.

"Two weeks?" I whispered.

He nodded. "I think that if I moved back in right now, we'd be in this exact same situation in a couple of days."

He was probably right. And so, two weeks slowly went by. It was hard. We still talked and got together, but the intimacy we'd had was lost. I had called Sue and Alice, crying over the situation multiple times over the two weeks, and was reassure that everything would work out. All couples fight. College graduation was bittersweet. Edward and I were together, but not and our families could tell that something was going on. The previous semester, I'd done an internship with a magazine, and once I graduated they hired me on as an editor. It made graduating from college a bit easier, knowing that I would have a job straight away. Edward was going to be heading straight into med school and part of me wondered if he hadn't applied to med school at Dartmouth.

We celebrated with our families and once they left, we sat down to have yet, another talk. We both felt a bit calmer and realized that we'd both acted incredibly childish. We were still very much in love with each other and decided to give living together another shot. We got a different apartment, one that was closer to my job and it felt like a new beginning. In September, we headed back to Forks to watch as Angela and Ben got married. It was a beautiful fall wedding, and I was thrilled to see two of my best friends so happy together. Their marriage was just the beginning. In December, Rose and Emmett finally got married. They had decided to move back to Washington after graduation, where Emmett got a job teaching math at Forks High. He was also going to be the assistant football couch. Rose would be working in Port Angeles for an architecture firm. Their little boy, Jack, had turned nine months, and was the cutest kid I'd ever seen. I'd never given much thought to having children, but upon seeing little Jack, I felt a yearning to pop out one or two sometime in the future.

The following March, Alice and Jasper got hitched on the Cullen estate. Jasper had left the army and was getting his degree in psychology. He'd decided that he wanted to be a psychologist, and help others. I knew that he'd be great at it. Then, one beautiful spring morning, Edward and I had gone for a walk at Madison Park beach. Actually, Edward had dragged me out of bed before the sun rose and drove us to the beach. Spreading out a blanket, we cuddled together as we watched the sun rise.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked.

"It is. Thanks for bringing me," I said, leaning up to give him a kiss.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too."

"Marry me?"

What? Did he—? He did. Oh my God! He just asked me to marry him. I turned slightly in his arms and looked at him. He raised and eyebrow, while awaiting my answer.

"Of course!" I shouted, throwing myself at him.

After several hot and steamy kisses, we broke apart. I watched as he pulled a blue ring box out of his pocket. Opening it, he took out the ring that was inside. I let out a gasp. It was gorgeous. It was a platinum ring with round diamonds encircling the center. There were interlocking waves along the band that were also filled with diamonds. The center of the ring contained a beautiful round emerald, almost the exact color as Edward's eyes. With a shaking hand, he slowly slid the ring on to my finger. My own hands were trembling as I watched, hardly daring to believe that this was happening.

Our families were thrilled. Alice, Sue, Rose, and Esme were all about planning my wedding. I had to shut Alice down when she suggested this huge elaborate wedding. I told them that we wanted a small, private wedding held in the backyard of the Cullen house. Esme and Sue thought it was a perfect idea. Rose didn't really care, while Alice pouted the whole time. I pointed out to her, that she'd had her fairytale big-ass wedding. This was my wedding and I wanted it small. We had decided that we wanted a fall wedding...early September. We'd already made out our guest list and were ready to get going. Med school had Edward keeping strange hours and quite busy, so most of the wedding details fell to me. Something, I wasn't real fond of. Thankfully, I had the women in my life to help me out. Alice did end up pretty much taking over, and honestly, I was fine with it.

* * *

Sue came into the room and much like Esme, broke down into tears when she saw me in my dress. Alice was in the corner crying as well, but I think that had more to do with hormones than anything. She was five months pregnant and ecstatic. She and Jasper had moved to Seattle, and Alice had started her own clothing line. She was in heaven. Jasper was still finishing up his degree, but was equally as ecstatic about the baby as Alice was. Edward and I had decided to wait until he was done with med school before starting a family.

As I stood admiring myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret that my mother wasn't going to be at my wedding. The twinge didn't last long. The last time I'd talked to Renee was four years ago. She'd just been released from jail for something or another, and had called wanting to come visit. I'd told her no. I also told her that as far as I was concerned, she was no longer my mother. I had Sue and Esme, and they were the two greatest moms on the planet.

There was a knock on the door and I watched Charlie tear up as he came in. According to Sue, he was having a hard time letting his baby girl go. I gave him a smile, and threw myself at him, hugging him tight.

"All ready, Bells?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Of course!"

The other left the room to go get ready, each giving me a hug on the way out the door.

"I'm so proud of you," Charlie said, hugging me to him. "I'm so happy that you've found someone like Edward. That boy is good for you. Now, I have a little something for you."

"Dad! You didn't have to get me anything," I grumbled.

"Hush. Now, this belonged to your great-grandma Swan, and I know that she'd want you to have it."

I took the box that he handed me and opened it up to find a beautiful diamond necklace. I asked Charlie to help me put it on, and once he did, we were all set. We headed downstairs and outside. As Charlie walked me down the makeshift isle, all I could think was that I was about to marry the most wonderful man. Edward stood next to Reverand Weber, with Jasper, Emmett, and Ben by his side. His face lit up when he saw me, and I felt like the most beautiful bride ever. We reached Edward, where Charlie handed me over, and I couldn't resist. I reached over and planted one on Edward's lips.

"Hey, handsome."

He flashed me that grin. "Hey, beautiful."

And just like that we were married amongst family, friends, and laughter. It was a perfect day. We were going to be honeymooning on Isle Esme, and I was excited to be going back there. We spent the rest of the evening dancing and enjoying each other. The DJ was playing a slow song, so Edward pulled me in close.

"Have I told you, you look stunning, Mrs. Cullen?"

"You have, Mr. Cullen. But please, feel free to keep telling me."

He gave me a smile and kissed my lips. I got a little thrill out of hearing him call Mrs. Cullen, and later he would confess that he got a thrill out of saying it. Soon, we said goodbye to our friends and families and headed toward the airport. We would spend two weeks on Isle Esme, then we'd return home and begin our lives as a married couple. Edward had bought us a house outside of Seattle, right down the street from Alice and Jasper, and I was thrilled that we'd all be near each other.

We were sitting on the beach on Isle Esme, watching the sun set. I looked over and let out a sigh at seeing my beautiful husband. Life was good, and I couldn't wait to see what the future would bring.

* * *

A/N: There it is folks. Kinda short and sweet, but I said what needed to be said. Hope you enjoyed this little story! I do plan on writing more in the future, so put me on author alert and keep an eye out. I can't thank you all enough for reading this!


	31. Outtake

**A/N: So, I've had this outtake done for a while now and posted on Wattpad and realized that I hadn't posted it on here. It's not very long, but it gives a little glimpse into the future. BTW, I borrowed the term boybarians from CassandraLowery. Thank you all so much for reading and supporting this story!**

* * *

**Five Years Later:**

**EPOV**

I looked over at my wife of five years as we lay on the beach on Isle Esme. She was even more beautiful now than she was when we first met. She would argue that she wasn't, but she was.

"What?" She asked, peering over the top of her sunglasses.

I shook my head. "Just thinking how beautiful you are."

She let out a snort before rolling over onto her stomach. "You need to get your eyes checked."

It was my turn to snort. We had this same argument every time. I was about to dispute her, when the alarm on my phone went off.

"Come on, Mrs. Cullen. Time to call the rugrat," I told her, standing up and holding out a hand to her.

After gathering up our towels, we walked back to the house and set about calling our son. Owen was born two years ago, during my third year of medical school. He wasn't planned, but he was a welcome and wonderful surprise.

I was in my first year of residency and had two more to go. I would be done right around my 30th birthday. After Owen was born, Bella left the editing position that she'd had and had gotten a job writing freelance articles for a couple of different magazines out of Seattle. This allowed her to work from home and spend time with our boy.

Emmett and Rose were doing fantastic. Emmett was still teaching and coaching, and Rose owned a auto repair shops. They had three kids already. Sometimes, I still had a hard time wrapping my head around it. Their oldest, Jack, had just turned six, while their youngest, Lily, was six months.

Alice and Jasper were still living in Seattle. Jasper was finishing up his Master's Degree and was going to head straight into getting his Ph.D. They had two kids. Their daughter, Mia, was five and their son, Will, was three.

We did our best to meet up at least twice a month for a weekend. We all usually stayed at my parents' house. They loved it. My parents doted all of the kids and were in their element when surrounded by their grandkids.

"Hi, baby," Bella said into the phone.

I heard a stream of babble and a few words here and there as she talked to our boy. I knew that as much as she was enjoying the peace and quiet, she missed him terribly. I knew I did.

"Ma! Da!"

"Hey, buddy. Are you behaving for Grammie and Papa."

"Yes. Woot!" he shouted causing us to laugh.

Woot was his favorite word, one that his Uncle Emmett had taught him.

We talked to him for a few minutes, telling him we loved him before Mom came on the line.

"Are you enjoying your anniversary?" Mom asked.

"Of course. How can you come to Isle Esme and not enjoy it?" Bella asked. "But I miss my little guy."

I watched in horror as she started to tear up. This was the first time that we'd been away from Owen for a lengthy amount of time.

"He misses his mommy and daddy as well, but you'll be back in a week. I'm sure we can manage to spoil him rotten in the meantime."

Of that, I had no doubt.

* * *

**Five more years later**

**BPOV**

I was going to strangle my sons. Each and every one of them. How in the world I'd ended up with four boys was beyond me. All I'd wanted was one sweet little girl, but no. Instead, I'd gotten four boybarians. We hadn't known it at the time, but I was pregnant when we'd gone to Isle Esme for our fifth wedding anniversary.

Seven months later, I'd brought not one, but two more boys into our lives. Justin and Lucas had come into the world screaming. We'd known that having twins was a possibility, but I'd never thought it would really happen. A year later, we had Elliot, and I told Edward that was it; I was done. No more kids.

At the moment, my four monsters were yelling and screaming their heads off in our backyard. It was a good thing we lived outside of town, or else I'd be fined for a noise violation.

We'd moved back to Forks after Edward finished his residency and had gotten a job as a pediatrician at the Forks Clinic. We'd bought a house outside of town with a large backyard surrounded by woods. I'd been a bit worried at first, afraid that a wolf or bear would wander its way into our yard and eat our children. Edward had told me I was a being ridiculous.

"Owen! If you don't stop, you're going to spend the afternoon in your room while your brothers enjoy the party!" I hollered from the back porch.

He let out a huff as he let a fistful of mud fall to the ground. He'd spent the past ten minutes trying to shove mud down his brothers' shirts. Which of course had riled them all up and led to them acting like barbarians.

"Inside, boys! Now!"

I watched, amused, as they all trudged toward me looking crestfallen. Once inside, I sent Owen to go get cleaned up in the upstairs bathroom.

"Hop in the shower and rinse the filth off, then put on the clothes I laid on your bed," I told him.

"Fine," he spat out, stomping up the stairs.

I led my other boys into the master bath and put them in the tub. As soon as they were clean and wrapped in towels, I sent them upstairs to get dressed.

Ten minutes later, they hadn't come back down. Figuring they must have been up to something, I headed upstairs and found four naked boys making armpit farting noises and giggling insanely.

It took everything in me not to start giggling with them. Putting my hands on my hips I asked what was going on.

"Nothing," four innocent faces told me.

"Uh huh. Well, unless you want your cousins and friends to see you naked, I'd suggest you get dressed."

"Anybody home?" Edward hollered as he walked in the door.

"Dad's home!" Elliot yelled before heading down the hall, naked as could be.

"Naked kid on the loose!" I hollered back, walking down the hall in time to see Edward be assaulted by a naked four year old.

"I see that. Let's get you dressed, buddy."

"Okay," Elliot said, looking put out at having to wear clothes.

He was our streaker. When he'd been younger, he'd had a habit of taking off his clothes as soon as you had put them on him. Thankfully, he now kept his clothes on once he was in them.

An hour later, our house was chaos. Dad, Sue, Seth, and his boyfriend Paul were all there. We'd all been a bit surprised to learn that Seth was gay. He'd never said anything and then one day out of the blue he told us. Not that we cared one way or the other.

Emmett and Rose arrived with their five kids, and I still found it hard to believe that their oldest was almost eleven. He had Emmett's wicked sense of humor and Rose's no bull attitude.

Alice and Jasper had moved back to Forks a couple of years ago when Alice had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She'd wanted to be closer to all of us while dealing with it, so they'd moved back in with Esme and Carlisle for a while. A year later, after endless rounds of chemo she was cancer free.

They'd bought a house a few miles down the road from us and our boys were delighted. They loved having Mia and Will close by.

Angela and Ben stopped by with their little girl a little while later. Their Annie was a sweet little girl who was crushing like mad on Justin. Angela and I had burst into giggles when Annie gave Justin a kiss on the cheek after wishing him a happy birthday. Justin had turned bright red and run off as fast as his little legs could carry him.

"Oh, Bella. You'll never guess who I ran into while I was in Port Angeles the other day," Alice said to me as we watched our kids play tag with Emmett.

"Who?"

"Victoria."

I whirled around. "No way. I thought she was in Alaska or somewhere."

She giggled. "You mean Alabama."

"Where ever," I said with a wave of a hand.

"How does she look?" Rose asked, joining in.

"Horrible. She had not aged well at all. She had a horrible haircut, a horrible dye job, and her clothes …" Alice trailed off, shuddering.

We cracked up. That was karma for you.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked, sitting down beside me.

Alice explained what we'd found so funny. Edward shook his head. "Serves her right."

As we tucked our kids in later that night, I couldn't help but think how blessed we were. We had four amazing boys and a pretty fantastic life. I couldn't be happier.

* * *

**a/n: Well, that's it. Hope you enjoyed it. **


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